The Los Angeles Lakers finished the season on a 7-3 run to clinch the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. They seemed like they'd found their groove with Luka Doncic now in the mix. But alas, their reliance on their stars resulted in an ignominiously quick exit as they lost in five games to the underdog Minnesota Timberwolves in Round 1.
LeBron James was still the second-best player on the team during the series. He averaged 25.4 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game on a 49/36/78 shooting line. Unfortunately, that was not nearly enough to push the Lakers to be competitive in this matchup.
With the Lakers making another earlier-than-expected playoff exit, the focus now shifts to the future of the team. Doncic is obviously going to be the man moving forward, so where does that leave LeBron?
LeBron James speaks on NBA future
Despite the disappointing loss, the longevity LeBron James is displaying is just silly. He just completed his 22nd season in the league (and 21st straight as an All-Star), and he'll be turning 41 years old midway through the 2025-2026 season.
With that in mind, it wasn't surprising to see him asked how many more years he expects to play in the NBA. He was understandably non-committal.
"I don't know. I don't have the answer to that. Something I'll sit down with my family and my wife and my support group and kind of just talk through it and see what happens. And then just have conversations with myself on how long I want to continue to play. I don't know the answer to that right now, to be honest. So, we'll see."
"I don't have the answer to that right now. ... we'll see."
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 1, 2025
LeBron on how much longer he plans to play pic.twitter.com/PwqUrMkKHS
While the King is still in unbelievably good shape, 40 is still 40. It was clear that, because he was still being asked to carry the Lakers, LeBron was getting fatigued during this series. He's tied with Cade Cunningham for the sixth-most minutes per game this postseason (40.7).
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The fatigue was most clear during the final stages of games. In Game 4, head coach JJ Redick made the shortsighted decision to leave LeBron and the starters in for the entirety of the second half. They predictably faltered during that time, as James scored just five points after scoring 22 in the first half and the Wolves earned a comeback win.
James was top 10 in fourth quarter minutes, but his 5.2 fourth quarter points were tied for 32nd, and behind guys like Moses Moody and Ty Jerome. And he shot just 33 percent from the field during that frame.
LeBron James has a player option of over $50 million in 2025-2026, but he could also hit free agency if he wants. However, all signs point to him remaining with the Lakers and receding into a more supporting role as L.A. reshapes the roster around Doncic.
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