Kennedy Wesley scores 1st international goal and adds assist as USWNT beats Japan 3-0
Kennedy Wesley shines with her first goal as USWNT wins 3-0 against Japan!
LeBron James may retire after the 2026 NBA Playoffs, with sources indicating it's a real possibility. The Lakers face the Rockets, and James could leave the team as a free agent this summer.
The Los Angeles Lakers are about to begin the 2026 NBA Playoffs by facing off against the Houston Rockets on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. Pacific time. It will be an opportunity for LeBron James to square off against Kevin Durant, giving basketball fans a marquee individual matchup that is hard to resist.
But there is a very real possibility that this will be James' final playoff series as a member of the Lakers, especially given how short-handed the Lakers are right now. Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves are out due to hamstring and oblique strains, respectively, and while one or both of them could return if the team survives long enough, it isn't exactly a guarantee.
Not only could James leave the Lakers this summer as a free agent, but according to a new report in The Athletic by Dan Woike and Sam Amick, he could completely end his storied career this summer, even though many have believed lately that he won't retire that soon.
"Team and league sources granted anonymity to speak openly say James has made no decisions regarding his future; that retirement remains a real possibility," Woike and Amick wrote. "The notion that James would want a farewell tour ā long cited as evidence that this season was not his last ā is false, those sources said, with several sources even hearing that directly from James himself."
Plenty have believed that the NBA's all-time leading career scorer would want a farewell tour, but if he doesn't, it would make it much more likely that he could call it a career as soon as this summer.
Yes, there are reports suggesting that retirement is a real possibility for LeBron James after the playoffs.
Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves are currently out due to hamstring and oblique strains, respectively.
Yes, LeBron James could potentially leave the Lakers as a free agent this summer.
Sources indicated that the notion of LeBron wanting a farewell tour is false, and he has made no decisions regarding his future.
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If James wants to extend his career for at least one more season, his options reportedly include remaining in the Purple and Gold. The Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors are also reportedly in play for his services.
"After months of speculation that the two parties were headed for a divorce, a strong March changed the Lakersā landscape and, potentially, the future between the organization and player. Winning, sources said, increased the chances of James and the Lakers extending their partnership.
"Around the league, rumors also persist that one last run in Cleveland, or a superstar Steph Curry-James duo in Golden State, are plausible possibilities as well. Per team sources, the Warriorsā interest in James this summer remains serious. The Cavs, and the prospect of a goodbye tour where Jamesā journey began, are also still widely seen by rival executives as a legitimate possibility. But in both cases, the luxury tax poses obstacles that likely mean James would have to make major financial concessions to come their way."
At one point very recently, it looked as if perhaps the Lakers were ready to move on from James. But there have been conflicting reports about whether they would welcome him back past this season, and Woike and Amick wrote that the door could still be open for James playing a ninth season for them.
"The Lakersā ability to level up in March, when faith was restored on both sides in regards to this complicated partnership, could have a significant impact on Jamesā future.
"According to team and league sources, the Lakers have not closed the door on James returning next season. While itās been the organizationās public position that it hopes James retires as a Laker, the run in March was the clearest example of the basketball advantages of pairing him with DonÄiÄ and Reaves.
"... The fact that James agrees with that assessment is crucial, as league sources say he was intrigued and encouraged by what they accomplished during that stretch. And considering the priority heās still placing on winning, that development ā and the what-might-have-been feeling that came with the injuries that followed ā appears to have reshaped his view of remaining with the Lakers.
"... The stretch also couldāve opened Jamesā eyes to the potential of significant on-court success again in Los Angeles, a league source said.
"Winning, the source added, is what makes James happiest in a basketball context, and March showed that the Lakers not only could be a winning team but one that won playing the right way with people celebrating one anotherās successes."
Of course, the realities of the NBA's hard salary cap will likely be a factor in where James plays next season ā if he doesn't retire this offseason ā and no matter where he plays in October, he'll have to do so at a drastically reduced salary. The Cavaliers and Warriors could offer him, at most, either the taxpayer or non-taxpayer mid-level exception, and even the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which will be worth roughly $15 million, could pale in comparison to what L.A. would offer him.
"According to two high-ranking team sources, the prospect of James returning is still in play from the organizationās point of view. But that scenario would require patience from James, as the Lakers have approximately $50 million in salary cap room and plan on prioritizing roster balance above all else as they continue to build around DonÄiÄ."
James will make a total of $52.6 million this season after deciding to opt into the option year of his contract last summer. Los Angeles reportedly didn't offer him any type of extension, which seemed to signal that perhaps the partnership between him and the franchise was coming to an end.
But perhaps this postseason won't be the end of the partnership after all.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Report: 'Retirement remains a real possibility' for LeBron James