Live LeBron James Updates With Lakers on Verge of Elimination, Near End to Record 23rd Season

LeBron James and the Lakers will play to keep their season alive Monday night in Game 4 against the Thunder. Down 3–0, Los Angeles’ season will almost certainly stop in the Western Conference semifinals at the hands of the defending champs.

For James, an exit signals the end of his 23rd NBA season, the most by any player in league history. Throughout this campaign, James has been open about the expiration date on his illustrious career. He hasn’t made a decision yet, but he can go a number of different ways once the Lakers’ season comes to a close.

At age 41, he’ll be an unrestricted free agent this summer with the right to choose his next steps. He could re-sign with L.A., where he has spent the past eight seasons. He could return home to Cleveland for a third stint and retirement tour with the Cavaliers, or even join a new team like the Warriors. Or, he could retire.

A sudden retirement would be the shocking option, as there hasn’t been an NBA without James since the start of this millennium. But, considering James has said he doesn’t know what the future holds, we must leave the option on the table. No retirement tour seems unlikely after James’s record-setting career, but it may be how he wants to go out.

The Athletic’s Sam Amick and Dan Woike reported last month that the notion James would want a farewell tour is false, citing sources that have heard that directly from James himself.

Considering this, there really is a possibility that Monday night’s game against the Thunder could be James’s last. Maybe not a strong possibility, but a possibility nonetheless.

Sports Illustrated will be watching along all night, as we take stock of what could be the end of James’s 23rd season. We’ll be revisiting some of his best moments from the year, analyzing what he has said about his future, and monitoring his performance as the Lakers look to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Thunder:

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