LeBron James has reiterated his uncertainty on whether he will be back in the NBA next season.

James could not help the Los Angeles Lakers avoid sliding to a 115-110 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 4 of their playoff series.

That defeat capped a series sweep for defending champions OKC, who progressed to the Western Conference finals.

James heads into the offseason as an unrestricted free agent, but he is not yet clear on whether he will return for a 24th campaign in the NBA.

"I think you guys asked me about [retirement], and I've answered questions. I don't think I've come out and been like, 'Oh, retirement is coming,'" the 41-year-old said, as reported by ESPN.

"With my future, I don't know, honestly. It's, obviously it's still fresh from losing [the series]. I don't know. I don't know what the future holds for me.

"I left everything I could on the floor.

"I can leave the floor saying, 'S***, even though I hate losing obviously, I was locked in on what we needed to do.'

"I tried to make sure our guys were locked in on what we needed to do throughout the postseason, throughout 10 games.

"And obviously we fell a little short, but I'm not looking at my year as a disappointment, that's for damn sure."

Battled all season pic.twitter.com/CTBLYPKEuD

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) May 12, 2026

James finished with 24 points and a game-leading 12 rebounds from 40 minutes on the court.

He explained he will take the time to determine his future, and whether he feels he is able to maintain his love for basketball.

"I think for me it's about the process," James added.

"If I can commit to still being in love with the process of showing up to the arena five hours before a game to start preparing for a game, giving everything I got, diving for loose balls and doing everything that you know that it takes to go out and play.

"Showing up to practices, I'm there preparing my body, preparing my mind, preparing to practice, to put the work in. I've always been in love with the process, so I think that would be a big factor."

The Lakers were without Luka Doncic, who has been out injured since the start of April.

"We thought we were going to compete for a championship," Doncic said.

"I think we had a great team, we had great chemistry, and obviously playing with [Austin Reaves] and Bron, it's an unbelievable experience. They are two great players, and it was really fun to share the court with them."