LeBron James ignores retirement query amid public outing with Rich Paul after Lakers’ playoff elimination

Hours after coming up short against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the NBA playoffs, LeBron James ducked a question regarding his future while leaving a restaurant with Rich Paul.

According to TMZ, James was out at Wally's Beverly Hills following LA's Game 5 loss until 4 A.M. local time. As he left, a TMZ reporter filming the situation asked whether he was going to retire. The four-time champ and future Hall of Famer ignored the question and instead got into the back of a tinted SUV.

So far, LeBron James has continued to play coy regarding his future. Much like after last season's loss to Denver, James is telling fans and media members alike that he's undecided about coming back for the following year.

During his postgame press conference on Wednesday, when pressed about the situation, James stated that he didn't have an answer regarding his future. However, he was planning to talk to his family and his inner circle about the 2025-26 season.

From the looks of things, before doing so, the LA star took some time to enjoy himself after his 2024-25 season came to a close.

Shams Charania expresses optimism about LeBron James returning for the 2025-26 NBA season

Although LeBron James has remained noncommittal about returning for a historic 23rd year in the NBA, ESPN's NBA insider Shams Charania expressed optimism surrounding James' return.

On Thursday, he appeared on "The Pat McAfee Show," where he discussed the situation. As Charania explained, there are two reasons that he's confident LeBron James will return for the 2025-26 season.

The first is that his younger son, Bryce, is going to be eligible for the NBA draft in 2026. While the future Hall of Famer has already played alongside one son in the NBA, he could again cement his place in history by becoming the first player to share the court with two of his sons.

While there's still plenty of time before the 2026 NBA draft, current projections from NBA Draft Room have Bryce James being a potential pick in either the 2026 or 2027 draft. It depends on how many years he spends developing at the NCAA level.

Additionally, Charania also pointed to the player option on LeBron James' contract for the 2025-26 season. He said that with just one year left on his deal, the expectation is that we see the four-time champ opt in and return for a historic year 23.

With plenty of time between now and the season ahead, only time will tell how things wind up playing out.