LeBron James shares heartfelt hug with Bronny and Savannah James after Lakers' early playoff exit

LeBron James and the LA Lakers suffered an early playoff exit after the Minnesota Timberwolves won the series in Game 5. James shared a heartfelt hug and kiss with his wife, Savannah, with their son Bronny not far behind. The father-son duo was unable to move past the first round after finishing the regular season as the third seed in the West.

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, ESPN's Arash Markazi shared a clip of Savannah in the Lakers' tunnel, waiting for her husband and eldest son. She gave a kiss and hug to her man while Bronny embraced her following the team's 103-96 loss on Wednesday.

The father and son shared a hug after the buzzer sounded as the Timberwolves qualified for the second round. It will be interesting to see how the Lakers rebuild their roster, especially the lack of big men who would have helped stop Rudy Gobert in Game 5.

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LeBron James scores 22 in Game 5 loss

In a must-win Game 5, LeBron James had a rough night with just 22 points on 9-for-21 shooting. James was wearing a sleeve on his left leg, which meant that he could have been playing through an injury. He bumped into Donte DiVincenzo early in the fourth quarter, which left him shaken up.

James scored just two points in the final period, when the Lakers needed his scoring. The game was close late before Julius Randle made some clutch shots and Mike Conley iced the game with a corner 3-point shot.

Luka Doncic had 28 points, seven rebounds and nine assists, but he was also slowed down by a back injury. Rui Hachimura hit five 3-point shots and finished with 23 points. However, their efforts weren't enough to keep the season alive.

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LeBron James has player option for next season

The LA Lakers will need to overhaul their roster this offseason. The acquisition of Luka Doncic meant that they needed to surround him with the right players, which they failed to do at the trade deadline. They needed an athletic big man and plenty of shooting for Doncic to be effective.

It puts LeBron James' future in purple and gold in question, though he has not shared any plans this summer. He has a player option for next season worth $52,627,153. He could opt out and become a free agent, though leaving Los Angeles might be hard to do on a business standpoint.

When asked about his future, James told reporters that he has no answer for it following a rough first-round exit.