Entertainment Sports LeBron James Considering Retirement After Lakers Get Swept: 'Got to Think About It' James, the NBA's all-time leading scorer, told reporters Monday he's considering retirement By Sean Neumann Sean Neumann Sean Neumann is a reporter at PEOPLE. He has been working at PEOPLE since 2019. His work has previously appeared in Rolling Stone, The New York Times, ESPN, and more. People Editorial Guidelines Updated on May 23, 2023 02:56PM EDT After 20 seasons in the NBA, LeBron James says he’s considering retirement. After his Los Angeles Lakers were swept from the Western Conference Finals on Monday night by the Denver Nuggets, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer said he’s “got a lot to think about” regarding his future on the court.“I don't play for anything besides winning championships at this point in my career and I don’t get a kick out of making a conference appearance,” James, 38, said. “I've done it a lot. And it's not fun to me to not be able to be a part of and, you know, get to the Finals. So, we’ll see. We'll see what happens going forward, but I don’t know. I don’t know. I’ve got a lot to think about to be honest. And just for me personally going forward with the game of basketball, I’ve got a lot to think about.”When asked to clarify what he meant, according to ESPN, James said he’s going to consider “if I want to continue to play.” RELATED: LeBron James Says It's a 'Proud Moment' as Son Bronny Commits to USC: 'Happy for His Journey' LeBron James. AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post/Getty Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. James has dealt with a number of injuries in recent years, including an ankle injury in 2022 and a groin injury in 2019, both of which ended his seasons prematurely. Chasing his fifth NBA Championship this season, James finished out the year playing on a right foot injury that may require surgery over the summer. Despite this, the surefire NBA Hall of Famer helped will the Lakers, the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference, deep into the playoffs. "I knew I could get to the finish line," James told ESPN. "Obviously, I knew I had to deal with it and deal with the pain or deal with not being able to be myself before the injury, but there was nothing that made me feel like I couldn't get to the finish line." Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images James scored 40 points in Monday night’s loss, showing he’s still fully capable of commanding a game. After discussing a possible retirement, the 19-time NBA All Star acknowledged he still feels like he’s better than “maybe 95” percent of the league’s players. RELATED: Who Is LeBron James' Mom? All About Gloria James There’s few things left to do for James, a four-time league MVP and two-time Olympic gold medalist who’s often thrust into the conversation of the greatest athletes of all time. After passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s NBA scoring record earlier this year, James did note one final goal: to be in a game with his son, Bronny, James' eldest son, 18, now plays college basketball for the University of Southern California and would be first eligible to play in the NBA in 2024. "I need to be on the floor with my boy, I got to be on the floor with Bronny," James said then, adding, “Either in the same uniform or a matchup against him.”