The Los Angeles Lakers chiefs have responded to worrying claims that LeBron James may retire from basketball.
The 38-year-old dropped 40 points and played the entire 48 minutes in an elimination game, but ultimately his side was beaten 113-111 by the Denver Nuggets and lost the Western Conference Finals 4-0. After a demoralising defeat, the four-time champion is thinking about stepping away from the game after 20 seasons of playing at the highest level in the NBA.
“I got a lot to think about,” he admitted. “Just personally, with me moving forward with the game of basketball, I got a lot to think about.”
In response to his comments, Lakers General Manager Rob Pelinka is hopeful that the basketball icon will prolong his career.
"We all know that [James] speaks for himself, and we'll look forward to those conversations when the time is right," Pelinka said. "LeBron has given as much to the game of basketball as anyone who has ever played.
"When you do that, you earn a right to decide whether you're going to give more. Obviously, our hope would be that his career continues, but we want to give him the time to have that inflection point and support him along the way."
James played through the entire playoffs with a foot injury, which may require surgery in the offseason to allow him to return to full health. The problem sidelined the 19-time All-Star during the final month of the regular season and returned in the build-up to the Playoffs.
In 16 postseason games, James averaged 24.4 rebounds, 9.9 rebounds and 6.5 assists as the seventh seed defeated the Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors en route to the Western Conference Finals. Earlier this year the Lakers were languishing outside the Play-In and were heading for a second consecutive season outside of the Playoffs.
The Lakers progressed further in the postseason than some expected given their inconsistent season, but following a crushing series defeat, coach Darvin Ham understands how James is feeling as he also responded to his retirement comments.
"Coming off a tough loss like that, the work we've put in this season, I think I was ready to retire after last night, too," Ham joked.
The Lakers front office made some astute trades at the deadline earlier this year which helped the Lakers win 18 of their final 26 regular season games. But two-time MVP Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and the excellent Nuggets team proved too much for the Lakers to overcome as they progressed to their first-ever NBA Finals.
"We ultimately got knocked out by a team that has great continuity," Pelinka added. "They've got a group of players that have been together for several seasons, and it shows in the way they play.
“We feel like we've got special players in the locker room that enjoy playing with each other. We know there's more growth and improvement in that group, especially if we get a training camp together."
The Nuggets wait on the winner of the Eastern Conference Finals, which will stage a game five after the Boston Celtics defeated the Miami Heat 116-99 to reduce the deficit to 3-1.
