Report: 'Retirement remains a real possibility' for LeBron James

The Los Angeles Lakers are about to begin the 2026 NBA Playoffs by facing off against the Houston Rockets on Saturday at 5:30 p. m. Pacific time.

It will be an opportunity for LeBron James to square off against Kevin Durant, giving basketball fans a marquee individual matchup that is hard to resist. But there is a very real possibility that this will be James' final playoff series as a member of the Lakers, especially given how short-handed the Lakers are right now. Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves are out due to hamstring and oblique strains, respectively, and while one or both of them could return if the team survives long enough, it isn't exactly a guarantee.

Not only could James leave the Lakers this summer as a free agent, but according to a new report in The Athletic by Dan Woike and Sam Amick, he could completely end his storied career this summer, even though many have believed lately that he won't retire that soon. "Team and league sources granted anonymity to speak openly say James has made no decisions regarding his future; that retirement remains a real possibility," Woike and Amick wrote. "The notion that James would want a farewell tour — long cited as evidence that this season was not his last — is false, those sources said, with several sources even hearing that directly from James himself.

" Plenty have believed that the NBA's all-time leading career scorer would want a farewell tour, but if he doesn't, it would make it much more likely that he could call it a career as soon as this summer. If James wants to extend his career for at least one more season, his options reportedly include remaining in the Purple and Gold. The Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors are also reportedly in play for his services.