The Los Angeles Lakers season is now over following a Game 4 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night in the second round of the NBA playoffs.
That officially marks 23 seasons completed by LeBron James, and whether he returns for a 24th remains uncertain.
If he does choose to come back, he would be entering unrestricted free agency, leaving his future with the Lakers somewhat up in the air, despite general manager Rob Pelinka making it clear on Tuesday that the team would love to have him return.
A positive development coming out of L.A. is that James reportedly has a strong relationship with head coach JJ Redick, according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin in a report Wednesday morning.
However, a more notable moment in McMenamin's report highlighted James feeling "taken for granted" at one point during the season following a March 31 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
That game marked James' 1,229th career win, moving him past Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most in NBA history. It also included milestones for several teammates, including 15,000 career points for Luka Doncic, 5,000 for Rui Hachimura, and the 100th coaching win of Redick's career.
After the game, Pelinka reportedly held the game ball in the locker room and ultimately decided to present it to Redick rather than the players, which James allegedly viewed as another example of the organization taking him for granted.
One source close to him described it as another perceived slight from an organization that has grown tired of "pushing him out the door."
Just two days later, the Lakers' season ultimately came crashing down in a blowout loss to the Thunder, a game in which both Doncic and Austin Reaves suffered injuries, once again placing James at the center of the franchise's spotlight despite being 41 years old.
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