LOS ANGELES — Lakers star LeBron James surprised people with his comments at the end of his postgame news conference Monday, hinting at an uncertain basketball future that could include a surprise retirement despite being under contract with the Lakers for at least the 2023-24 season.
Asked how he would evaluate his 20th season in the NBA, one in which he set the league's all-time scoring record, James meandered through several different thoughts before ending with a cryptic message about his future.
"I think it was OK. I don't like to say it's a successful year because I don't play for anything besides winning championships at this point in my career," he said. "You know, I don't get a kick out of making a conference [finals] appearance. I've done it, a lot. And it's not fun to me to not be able to be a part of getting to the Finals. But we'll see. We'll see. We'll see what happens going forward. I don't know. I don't know. I've got a lot to think about, to be honest. I've got a lot to think about, to be honest. Just for me personally going forward with the game of basketball, I've got a lot to think about."
