After LeBron James has recovered from the challenging finish to their season, the Los Angeles Lakers are holding out hope that he will choose to continue his career in professional basketball. The day after the best scorer in NBA history claimed he wanted time to ponder about his basketball future following the Lakers’ loss from the Western Conference finals, James did not meet with the media. The Lakers were eliminated from the Western Conference playoffs.
The 38-year-old James has avoided his team’s playoff media exit interviews in the past; however, his decision to do so on Tuesday left Lakers fans in the dark about his intentions with his cryptic words following a four-game sweep at the hands of the Denver Nuggets.
Rob Pelinka, the general manager, and Darvin Ham, the coach, have both stated that they will shortly discuss James’s future with him. Pelinka is quoted as saying, “We all know that (James) speaks for himself, and we’ll look forward to those conversations when the time is right,” “LeBron James has contributed more to the game of basketball than any other player in the history of the sport.
You will have earned the right to decide whether or not you are going to offer more when you have done that…. Our expectation is that he will continue his career, but we want to give him enough time to reach that turning point so that we can be there for him every step of the way and offer our support. “I wish that I could be here. It has a familiar atmosphere to me, almost like I’m at home,” Reaves remarked. “It’s clear that this place is far different from my actual home (which is in Arkansas).
It is little more expansive. The traffic is slightly more difficult…. However, because of the support I receive from the players, the coaching staff, and the front office, it makes me feel as though I am at home here. It’s absolutely somewhere I want to be, but we’ll have to wait and see what the future holds.
Pelinka expressed optimism that the Lakers will be able to retain Rui Hachimura, who is also eligible for the restricted free agent pool. Hachimura described his time with the Lakers as “a crazy three months for me.” Hachimura’s time with the Lakers was brief. It was without a doubt one of the most enjoyable experiences of my life. After James’s spectacular play in a loss, the rest of the Lakers indicated they could understand why he would question his future with the team.
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