LeBron James Addresses Potential Retirement: 'I Don't Know What the Future Holds'

LeBron James has sparked retirement rumors as he finished his 23rd in the NBA.

After the Los Angeles Lakers's playoff exit on Monday, May 11, James addressed whether he will be returning for another NBA season.

"I don't know what the future holds," James said to the press. He added that he hopes to spend time with his family before deciding his next career move.

James' comments came after the Lakers lost against the Oklahoma City Thunder in their Game 4 second-round playoff game.

"Nobody has any idea what the future holds, and I don't either," James said according to The Associated Press. "I'll take time to recalibrate and look over the season and see what's best for my future, and when I get to that point, everyone will know."

After this season, James is set to be an unrestricted free agent and he could potentially play for another team. However, James made $52.6 million during the 2025-26 season, so if he plays for a different team and takes a pay cut it would be the first of his career.

James had previously sparked retirement rumors after a loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves which ended the Lakers' season last year.

"I don't know," he said at the time when asked how much longer he plans to play professionally. I don't have an answer to that. Something I'll sit down with my family, my wife and my support group and kind of just talk through it and see what happens. And just have a conversation 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."

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This story was originally published May 13, 2026 at 12:22 AM.