After the Lakers were swept by the Nuggets in the playoffs, James cryptically indicated he has "a lot to think about" this offseason. Bleacher Report and ESPN clarified his words.
Sources told BR's Chris Haynes that James has "a lot to weigh" and will "take his time in deciding if he'll return for Year 21."
A source close to James told ESPN's Dave McMenamin that the Lakers star felt the effects of travel and physicality in the first round against Memphis,
and the second round against Golden State "brought back old demons" of their previous Finals matchups when James was in Cleveland.
After his 20th NBA season concluded with a 113-111 Game 4 loss to the Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals on Monday, James spoke to ESPN about his news conference statements.
James stated in the news conference that he does not enjoy conference appearances. I've done it a lot, and it's not fun to miss the Finals.
After Denver swept Los Angeles in Game 4 of the 2023 NBA Playoffs Western Conference Finals at Crypto.
Com Arena in Los Angeles, LeBron James addresses the media. Getty Images/NBAE We’ll see. We’ll see. No idea. He reiterated, "I've got a lot to think about."