LeBron James Rumors: Shams 'Fully' Expects Return to Lakers amid Retirement Buzz

It doesn't seem like a lot of people are taking LeBron James' retirement tease very seriously in the wake of the Los Angeles Lakers' loss to the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals.

Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show, Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium said he "fully" expects James will be back for his 21st season in the NBA.

James told ESPN's Dave McMenamin following Monday's Game 4 loss he's going to use this offseason "to think about" whether he wants to continue playing.

There was a lot of skepticism from analysts and teammates about James' comments.

Troy Brown Jr. told McMenamin he didn't blame James for saying what he did because of the physical toll it takes to play at the level he's at. But he added: "Personally, for me, I feel like because of his love of the game, he will continue to play."

A source told McMenamin that James' retirement talk was the product of a "raw time" following a difficult loss at the end of a long season.

Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka and head coach Darvin Ham told reporters Tuesday that they intend to give James all the time he needs to make a decision about his future.

"LeBron has given as much to the game of basketball as anyone who's ever played. When you do that, you earn the right to decide if you want to give more," Pelinka said. "Obviously, our hope would be that his career continues."

LeBron played the past three months with a torn tendon in his foot. The injury occurred in the third quarter of Los Angeles' 111-108 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Feb. 26. He sat out the next 13 games before returning on March 26.

In 16 playoff games, James averaged 38.7 minutes per contest. He played more than 40 minutes in four of the Lakers' final five games, including all but four seconds at the end of the second quarter in Game 4 against the Nuggets.

James signed a two-year, $97.1 million extension with the Lakers in September. The deal includes a $50.6 million player option for the 2024-25 season.

There's no denying James is still capable of playing at a high level. He scored 40 points on 15-of-25 shooting in the season-ending loss to Denver and averaged 24.5 points, 9.9 rebounds and 6.5 assists in this year's playoffs.

James was named to the All-NBA third team despite missing 27 games during the regular season.