The final buzzer had sounded, the Los Angeles Lakers were out, and LeBron James looked more exhausted than ever. But waiting for him in the tunnel wasn’t a coach or teammate—it was his wife, Savannah. The two shared a quiet kiss, a rare, real moment in a sport full of noise.
Los Angeles Lakers Exit Playoffs Despite Top-Three Western Conference Finish
The Lakers entered the 2025 NBA Playoffs with high expectations after finishing the regular season as a top-three seed in the Western Conference. But their run ended abruptly in the first round, losing in five games to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Rudy Gobert delivered a monster performance in the closeout game—27 points and 24 rebounds—snuffing out the Lakers’ postseason hopes.
MORE: Breaking Down LeBron’s Game 5 Performance
Even at age 40, James put up solid numbers in the series. In Game 5, he finished with 22 points, seven rebounds, and two steals. Still, the loss added to a troubling stat: James is now 2-12 in his last 14 playoff games. TNT’s Kevin Harlan summed it up bluntly on the broadcast: “The Lakers just looked tired.” Fatigue and injuries clearly played a role in the early exit.
LeBron and Savannah after the Lakers got eliminated. pic.twitter.com/wHUdOOYhXR
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports)
After the loss, James looked demoralized as he made his way toward the locker room at Crypto.com Arena. But Savannah was waiting. They shared a kiss—an emotional pause before what could be one of the biggest decisions of his career.
In his postgame interview, James was asked directly about retirement.
“I don’t have the answer to that,” he said. “Something I’ll sit down with my wife and my support group and kind of just talk through it, and see what happens. Just have conversations with myself on how long I want to continue to play. I don’t know the answer to that right now, to be honest.”
LeBron James on how much longer he’ll play: “I don’t know. I don’t have the answer to that. I’ll sit down with my family, my wife and my support group, talk through it, and see what happens. Have conversations with myself on how long I want to continue to play. We'll see." pic.twitter.com/bhzXYBzU2h
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto)
Luka Dončić led the Lakers with 28 points, seven rebounds, and nine assists. But even he admitted there’s work to do. In a postgame interview, he said:
“Yeah, there’s obviously a lot of different things we can do—I can do. Everybody’s got to get better. We’re gonna have a long summer. And we should focus on what we can improve as a team and as individuals.”
Between injuries, fatigue, and missed chances, things fell apart faster than expected for Los Angeles. Now the focus shifts to what comes next—with James possibly weighing retirement and Dončić already thinking about the grind ahead.
