LeBron James Still Unsure About the Future of His NBA Career

Now that the Los Angeles Lakers’ season is over, superstar LeBron James has a big decision to make as he prepares to enter free agency this summer.

James could either take a pay cut to re-sign with the Lakers, sign with a different NBA team or retire from basketball altogether. Throughout the 2025-26 season, multiple reporters asked James for updates about his plans for the future. But even after the Game 4 loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals on Monday, James still does not have an answer.

“I don’t know what the future holds for me … I’ll go back and recalibrate with my family and talk with them, spend some time with them, and when the time comes, you guys will know what I decide to do,” James told reporters after the Lakers’ 110-115 loss to the Thunder.

"I don't know what the future holds for me."

LeBron addresses questions about retirement after Year 23 comes to an end. pic.twitter.com/TE78ENnOax

— ESPN (@espn) May 12, 2026

James has played in an NBA-record 23 seasons, so retirement is not out of the question when it comes to the veteran’s future in the league. But James has not shown any signs of slowing down, as he scored 24 points and a game-high 12 rebounds across 40 minutes in Game 4 on Monday.

James told reporters a big factor in his decision will be if he can stay committed to the process of being one of the NBA’s best players.

“I think for me it’s about the process,” James said. “If I can commit to still being in love with the process of showing up to the arena 5½ hours before a game to start preparing for a game, giving everything I got, diving for loose balls and doing everything that you know that it takes to go out and play.

“Showing up to practices, 11 o’clock practice, I’m there at 8 o’clock preparing my body, preparing my mind, preparing to practice, to put the work in. So I think for me, I’ve always been in love with the process … so I think that would be a big factor.”

Photo Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

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