LeBron James, the face of the Los Angeles Lakers, shared his thoughts on the team’s first-round playoff exit at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Despite a strong regular season that saw the Lakers secure the third seed in the Western Conference, they fell to Minnesota in a 4-1 series defeat.
After a few days to process the loss, James appeared on an episode of “Mind the Game” with Steve Nash to discuss the matchup. The four-time NBA champion emphasized that playoff success isn’t just about regular-season performance but also about the challenges presented by specific matchups.
“Obviously, I’ve come to grips with it now, with it being quite a few days after the fact and watching a lot of other series now and seeing how they unfold,” James told Nash.
“We entered the season well, but like you said, when it comes to the postseason, man, matchups sometimes just — it doesn’t determine how well of a regular season you had,” he continued. “It’s the matchups, and we ran into a damn good matchup.”
Anthony Edwards #5 dribbles in front of LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers during a 103-96 Timberwolves win in Game Five of the playoffs. (Harry How/Getty Images)
Finally, James highlighted the qualities of the Timberwolves and acknowledged they were a worthy opponent. “A team that’s been battle-tested, a team that’s hungry, a team that—a lot of youth but also experience at the same time—and another team that’s trying to make the next step. They were a worthy opponent, that’s for sure,” James adeed.
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James on his future
Following the Lakers’ early exit, speculation has grown about whether James is considering retirement. While he hasn’t given a definitive answer, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer didn’t dismiss the possibility outright.
“I haven’t had the conversation with the family yet as far as me going forward or whatever the case may be,” James said during “Mind in the Game“. “But we’ll see what happens”.
Bronny James on LeBron’s future
LeBron and Bronny James made NBA history this season as the first father-son duo to play together. After completing his rookie campaign with the Los Angeles Lakers, Bronny expressed his desire to keep sharing the court with his legendary father.
“Yeah, for sure,” Bronny said in a FOX Sports interview when asked if he wants LeBron to continue playing. “However long he can come back for, it’s always a pleasure being around him. He’s locked in. The stuff he does for his body and how he prepares—I want to take full advantage of that”.
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