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The King could potentially vacate his throne earlier than many expected.
Shortly after James cryptically said he has “a lot to think about” this offseason after the Lakers were swept out of the playoffs by the Nuggets, Bleacher Report and ESPN added some clarity behind James’ surprising statements.
Sources told BR’s Chris Haynes that James has “a lot to weigh” and will “take his time in deciding if he’ll return for Year 21.”
ESPN’s Dave McMenamin said a source close to James explained that the Lakers star felt the effects of the travel and physicality in the first round against Memphis — and then the second round against Golden State “brought back old demons” of the previous Finals matchups they had when James was in Cleveland.
James expanded on his press conference comments in a separate interview with ESPN after his 20th NBA season ended in a 113-111 Game 4 loss to the Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals on Monday.
James confirmed he was talking about “if I want to continue to play” next year.
“I got to think about it,” James replied when asked if he would walk away from the game all together.
