James, who turns 40 in December, previously said he wanted to finish his career playing alongside his 19-year-old son but has made that less of an emphasis more recently.
‘I haven’t given it much thought lately’ said the veteran forward when asked about the possibility after the No. 7 Lakers’ playoff elimination loss to the West’s No. 1 seed Denver Nuggets on Monday night.
‘Obviously I’ve thought about it in the past but at the end of the day the kid has to do what he wants to do. I don’t even want to say kid anymore. The young man will decide what he wants to do and how he wants his career to go,’ he continued.
‘I just think the fact that we’re having this conversation is pretty cool.’
James, who just wrapped up his 21st season in the NBA, has until June 29 to decide whether to opt into the final year of his contract with the Lakers for $51.4million, become an unrestricted free agent or retire.
On Tuesday, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst claimed that James intends to become a free agent for the first time since 2018 this summer. The four-time left his hometown team – the Cleveland Cavaliers – for the Lakers of Los Angeles as a free agent, six years ago.
‘I think that will apply a little bit of pressure to the Lakers,’ Windhorst further said, revealing that James might just wait to see who the franchise will draft in less than two months.
The Lakers want the NBA’s all-time leading scorer back badly and would be open to discussing the maximum three-year, $164M extension they can offer, the Athletic reported, citing sources. James would be 42 by the end of the contract.
For now, James plans to spend time with his family and rest his body before turning his attention to Team USA at the Paris Olympics, which will take place from July 26 to August 11.
‘It’s about family right now,’ James said after scoring 30 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds in the Lakers’ 108-106 Game 5 loss to the defending champion Nuggets. ‘And then in a couple months I’ve got to go to Vegas for training camp. So I’ve got to rest my body for USA (Basketball).’
The four-time NBA Finals MVP acknowledged that playing in the league for as long as he has had taken a toll but was worth it.
‘It’s very taxing,’ James said.
‘Mentally, physically, spiritually, everything … but it’s very rewarding because if you love the game, the process and you love being great, then you don’t mind taking the tax on your body, your mind and your psyche.’