|
Lakers General Manager Rob Pelinka, speaking to
reporters on Tuesday, said that he and head coach Darvin Ham
look forward to speaking with James and added that their job is
to support athletes if they reach a career turning point.
"LeBron has given as much to the game of basketball as anyone
who's ever played. When you do that, you earn a right to decide
whether you're going to give more," said Pelinka.
"We'll be in contact with him, his team, and really providing
nothing but support for him. Obviously, our hope would be that
his career continues, but we want to give him the time to have
that inflection point and support him along the way."
James' admission that he is considering retirement came as a
surprise given the four-time NBA champion still plays at a high
level and has previously expressed a desire to play with his
eldest son in the pros, a possibility that could not happen
until the 2024-25 season.
No NBA team has ever won a best-of-seven games series after
falling behind 3-0 and James did all he could to keep the
Lakers' season alive as he played all 48 minutes of the
elimination game on Monday while also scoring a game-high 40
points.
But with the emotion of that loss still fresh, James ended his
post-game press conference with a bit of a surprise.
"I got a lot to think about, to be honest," James said. "Just me
personally, going forward with the game of basketball, I got a
lot to think about."
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Toby Davis)
[© 2023 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |
|
