LeBron James has not had his exit interview with Lakers coach Darvin Ham and general manager Rob Pelinka following the franchise’s series-ending Game 4 loss to the Nuggets in the Western Conference finals on Monday night.
James, who played in only 55 regular-season games this season due to several injuries, finished Game 4 with a stellar 40-point performance to conclude the final game of his 20th NBA season. Despite his incredible outing, Denver earned the series sweep of Los Angeles. The 38-year-old then offered a cryptic response regarding his NBA future in the postgame press conference, leading to the notion that the four-time champion could be considering retirement.
As a result, Pelinka told reporters that he and Ham will have their exit interview with James in the coming days and that the 19-time All-Star “earned the right” to reflect on his NBA future, calling it “human” and an “inflection point.”
“LeBron [James] has given as much to the game of basketball as anyone who’s ever played,” Pelinka said. “When you do that, you earn a right to decide whether you’re going to give more. Sometimes we put athletes, entertainers on a pedestal, but they’re humans. They have inflection points in their careers.
“Our job … is to support any player on our team if they reach a career inflection point. LeBron is surrounded by incredible people. His family first … management team … I’m sure he’ll have those conversations with them in the coming days.”
Here's Rob Pelinka on the Lakers' plans to support and communicate with LeBron. "Obviously, our hope would be that his career continues," Pelinka said.
— Michael Corvo (@michaelcorvoNBA) May 23, 2023
Darvin Ham thanked LeBron and added that he's "earned the right to do whatever he feels comfortable doing." https://t.co/lspLKHUoeS pic.twitter.com/9J0Nvva62I
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While James’s future remains in question currently, Pelinka did state that keeping the core of the team together is a “high priority” this offseason.
“Keeping that continuity is going to be very important,” Pelinka said. “… This was a season of advancement and growth … This was a team that competed to the bitter end and that’s something as an organization that we owe to our fans.”
Currently, James is slated to earn a franchise-best $46.7 million in the 2023–24 season. James also has a player option for the ’24–25 season for $50.4 million.
