Il Nuovo Postiglione - LeBron James mulling retirement after Lakers exit: ESPN

ESPN reported that the 38-year-old was thinking about "walking away" from the sport after the Lakers' defeat brought the curtain down on his 20th season in the league.

Chris Haynes, a reporter for the TNT broadcaster, said in a separate tweet citing league sources that James's retirement was "under consideration."

James himself fuelled speculation about his future in a cryptic post-game press conference, saying that he planned to take time to reflect on the next stage of his career after the Lakers' exit.

Asked for his reflections on the past season, where he became the league's all-time leading points scorer before leading a rejuvenated Lakers to the brink of the NBA Finals, James said the campaign had been "challenging."

"I don't know. I think it was okay. I don't like to say it's a successful year because I don't play for anything besides winning championships at this point in my career," said James, who delivered a vintage 40-point performance in the Lakers' 113-111 loss on Monday.

"I don't get a kick out of making a Conference (finals) appearance. I've done it, a lot. And it's not fun to me to not be able to be a part of getting to the Finals.

"But we'll see. We'll see. We'll see what happens going forward. I don't know. I've got a lot to think about to be honest. I've got a lot to think about to be honest.

"Just for me personally going forward with the game of basketball, I've got a lot to think about."

James signed a two-year contract extension with the Lakers last August that would keep him at the club through the 2024-2025 season.

He has long said that he wants to continue playing in order to play with or against his son Bronny James, who will play college basketball next season at the University of Southern California and could conceivably enter the NBA in time for the 2024-2025 campaign.

C.Albano--INP