Austin Reaves Sends Clear LeBron James Message as Retirement Speculation Grows

After the Los Angeles Lakers' loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals, much of the focus of the NBA world turned to LeBron James and his future with the franchise and in the league.

The 2025-26 season was the final year of James' contract with the Lakers. He's an unrestricted free agent this offseason, so there were naturally questions about whether he will return to L.A. or even the NBA.

James is already 41 years old, and after four MVP awards and four NBA championships in 23 seasons, he really has nothing left to prove.

If you ask Lakers guard Austin Reaves, however, he wants James back in the NBA. He made that abundantly clear following L.A.'s loss to the Thunder in Game 4.

"It's been fun [playing with him]," Reaves said of James, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. "I hope I can continue to do that."

For what it's worth, Reaves has a player option for the 2026-27 season, but he's expected to decline the option and enter free agency. With that said, his future with the Lakers remains uncertain as well.

Regardless, Reaves shared his desire to keep playing alongside James, which could be a possibility if both players return to the Lakers next season.

The Lakers great is certainly still capable of playing at the highest level. James played 60 games during the regular season and averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 1.2 steals.

James refused to comment on his future, though, sharing that he still doesn't know what he will do.

Related: Former NBA Star Calls Out Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's 'Flat Out Dirty' Move on Austin Reaves

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This story was originally published May 11, 2026 at 11:31 PM.