LeBron James chuckled at the question he knew was coming as a smile crossed his face when he was asked about the word “retirement.”

James stammered as he tried to answer the question during his session at Lakers media day on Monday.

He never provided a definitive answer about his future. He’s about to enter his 23rd season in the NBA, which will mean James will have played more seasons in the league than anyone in history. He turns 41 on Dec. 30, but if last season was any indication, James hasn’t slowed down.

When James was asked about his approach to this season, knowing that retirement is near, he seemed unsure how to answer.

Read more:Plaschke: Is LeBron James planning to retire? Maybe, and that could be a Laker mess

“I mean, I don’t know,” he said. “I mean, I’m excited about today, I’m excited about an opportunity to be able to play a game that I love for another season. And whatever the journey, however the journey lays out this year, I’m just super invested, because like you just said, I don’t know when the end is, but I know it’s a lot sooner than later.

“So just being super appreciative of the fact that I could come up here, do another media day and talk to you guys and do all this stuff around here, so just excited about the journey and whatever this year has in store for me.”

James exercised his player option for $52.6 million this summer to play with the Lakers in the final year of his deal. He did not sign an extension with the Lakers, meaning that James will be a free agent after the 2025-26 season if he does not retire.

James already is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer during the regular season with 42,184 points. He has played the second-most regular-season games in history at 1,562, just 50 behind the leader, Robert Parish.

James averaged 24.4 points,7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists last season

It was clear that he still was on top of his game.

“The thing that still pushes me is the fact that the love of the game is still high,” James said. “The love of the process is even higher. So that’s what continues to push me to play this game. I mean, it’s really that simple. Me training and working on my body and trying to get my body as close to 100% as possible every year, it’s something that’s like —- it’s a beautiful thing for me. Just continue to challenge to see how well I can push myself to play the game at a high level, recover at a high level, be able to sleep better, mentally prepare, try to stay sharp throughout the course of a long season. And just the roller coaster of an NBA season, that’s all like, gratifying to me, no matter the good, the bad, the ugly. I love that process. … So much that goes into it, more than just picking up a basketball and shooting at the rim.”

James is teaming up with another superstar in Luka Doncic, who signed a three-year extension for $165-million.

Doncic, 26, is considered one of the top players in the league, giving James a top-notch running partner.

James was asked how much having a player like Doncic beside him will weigh in his decision to retire.

“Nah, nah. As far as how long I go in my career? Nah. Zero,” James said. “The motivation to be able to play alongside him every night, that’s super motivating. That’s what I’m going to train my body for. Every night I go out there and try to be the best player I can for him, and we’re going to bounce that off one another. But as far as me weighing in on him and some other teammates of how far I go in my career, nah. It would be, literally my decision, along with my wife and — two of my boys [Bronny and Bryce] already gone. … So it’ll be a decision between me, my wife [Savannah] and my daughter [Zhuri]. It won’t be, ‘Hey, having a meeting with my teammates.’ It won’t be that.”

James and Austin Reaves have been teammates for four years now, and Reaves has seen no decline in his famous teammate.

Reaves, who declined a four-year, $89.2-million contract offer from the Lakers over the summer, hasn’t talked to James about retirement but doesn’t see it happening any time soon.

“Every time you see him, he’s got a big smile on his face, he’s the biggest kid in the room, has a great time and you got to appreciate that for somebody who has been going at it for so long, 23 years,” Reaves said. “At some point you feel like the joy might not be there. But every time you see him, it reinsures that he’s here for one thing and one thing only and that’s to win. But I don’t know about retirement. He might play for another 10 years.”

James returns to a Lakers team that was 50-32 last season and finished third in the Western Conference. The Lakers then lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

But the Lakers have retooled, adding center Deandre Ayton, guard Marcus Smart and wing Jake LaRavia.

Read more:Lakers set to open training camp: Five storylines to follow

James has won four NBA championships, and yearns for another.

“I don’t know, just to know how many miles I got as far as this game in my 22 years, now starting 23 years, and to still be able to play at a high level, to still to be able to go out there and can make plays and be respectful on the floor,” James said.

“It’s just super humbling and gratifying for me, personally. I love to play the game, and I love to play at a high level. And for me, age is kind of just a number, but it is reality too, though. I mean, you look at the history of the game, it’s not been many guys at my age, or especially going into Year 23 that’s been able to play at a level like that. And I’ve just tried to not take it for granted and just try to give the game as much as I can, inspire whoever I can: the younger generation, my generation, the generation after me, the generation to come. I think you are of the age what you, I guess, tell your mind you are.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Eight teams have made it into the MLB‘s Wild Card series in pursuit of making it to their division’s playoff series. Starting this week, four Wild Card Series games are planned each day from Tuesday through Thursday in a best-of-three format. The featured matchups include the Detroit Tigers vs. Cleveland Guardians, the San Diego Padres vs. Chicago Cubs, the Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees, and the Cincinnati Reds vs. L.A. Dodgers. The four Wild Card series winners will advance to their Divisional Playoffs, which run from Oct. 4-11. You can catch all of our playoff predictions here. 

This week’s Wild Card games will air on ESPN or ABC; here’s what you need to know to tune in to Major League Baseball’s 2025 Wild Card games, including the full schedule and where to watch. 

How to watch 2025 MLB Wild Card Games:

Dates: Sept. 30-Oct. 2, 2025

TV channels: ESPN, ABC

Streaming: ESPN unlimited, DirecTV, Fubo and more

When are the MLB’s 2025 Wild Card games?

There are four best-of-three MLB Wild Card Series this week. All four series will begin on Tuesday, September 30, and all four will hold Game 2 on Wednesday, Oct. 1. Any necessary Game 3 tiebreakers will follow on Thursday, Oct. 2.

What channels will MLB Wild Card be on in 2025?

MLB Wild Card games will be broadcast on ABC or ESPN; a complete, detailed game schedule is below. 

How to watch MLB Wild Card games without cable: 

ESPN and ABC are available on platforms like DirecTV, Fubo and Hulu + Live TV. You can also catch every Wild Card series game on ESPN unlimited, the new ESPN streaming service that bundles every ESPN-owned network, including ESPN on ABC games, in one place. 

2025 MLB Wild Card Series Schedule: 

Tuesday, Sept. 30

• Tigers at Guardians, Game 1: 1:08 p.m. ET (ESPN)

• Padres at Cubs, Game 1: 3:08 p.m. ET (ABC)

• Red Sox at Yankees, Game 1, 6:08 p.m. ET (ESPN)

• Reds at Dodgers, Game 1: 9:08 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Wednesday, Oct. 1

• Tigers at Guardians, Game 1: 1:08 p.m. ET (ESPN)

• Padres at Cubs, Game 2: 3:08 p.m. ET (ABC)

• Red Sox at Yankees, Game 2: 6:08 p.m. ET (ESPN)

• Reds at Dodgers, Game 2: 9:08 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Thursday, Oct. 2

(Game 3 schedule subject to change)

• Tigers at Guardians, Game 3: 1:08 p.m. ET (ESPN) * if necessary

• Padres at Cubs, Game 3: 3:08 p.m. ET (ABC) * if necessary

• Red Sox at Yankees, Game 3: 6:08 p.m. ET (ESPN) * if necessary

• Reds at Dodgers, Game 4: 9:08 p.m. ET (ESPN) * if necessary

Who is playing in the 2025 MLB Playoffs?

National League

◆ Milwaukee Brewers (clinched National League Central and first-round bye)

◆ Philadelphia Phillies (clinched National League East and first-round bye)

◆ Los Angeles Dodgers (clinched National League East)

◆ Chicago Cubs (clinched Wild Card spot)

◆ San Diego Padres (clinched Wild Card spot)

◆ Cincinnati Reds (clinched Wild Card spot)

American League

◆ Toronto Blue Jays (clinched American League East and first-round bye)

◆ Seattle Mariners (clinched American League West and first-round bye)

◆ Cleveland Guardians (clinched American League Central)

◆ New York Yankees (clinched Wild Card spot)

◆ Boston Red Sox (clinched Wild Card spot)

◆ Detroit Tigers (clinched Wild Card spot)

More ways to stream MLB Wild Card Games:

The Mets‘ season ended on Sunday afternoon in disappointing fashion, losing to the Miami Marlins and failing to reach the postseason which capped off a disastrous final three-and-a-half months for New York.

In the wake of the perplexing elimination, president of baseball operations David Stearns spoke to the media about the unacceptable performance by him and the team that resulted in a 83-79 record despite sporting the second-largest payroll in MLB at $341 million. 

Stearns also spoke on how to deal with a few players moving forward, as well as some housekeeping on the injury front.

Leadership material

With such a talented roster that was unable to put it all together consistently down the stretch, a common critique thrown out there by fans who are obviously not in the clubhouse or around the team on a daily-basis was that New York lacked leaders and/or leadership to be able to pick the rest of the team up when it was down.

It’s a fair assumption given the way the Mets played for more than half the season, at times sleepwalking on the field and making mental/physical mistakes routinely. Plus, with the departures of veterans like J.D. Martinez and Jose Iglesias, who were instrumental in keeping New York focused yet loose last season, a void at the top was seemingly felt.

However, Stearns dismissed the notion that the Mets lacked leadership, pointing to what he personally saw out of the team in his interactions with the players.

“I think we have leaders in our clubhouse. I think we have leadership in our clubhouse,” Stearns said. “I do not think that was a problem.”

He later added:

“I can tell you my experience in the clubhouse throughout this year is we had guys who cared about each other, who cared about winning, who worked hard.”

It’s true, New York had veterans on the roster such as Francisco Lindor, Brandon Nimmo, Starling Marte, Edwin Diaz and more who are certainly capable of leading a team. But the spiraling nature of the team’s free fall certainly would suggest that it was unable to cling on to something or someone when things got tough.

What was also telling, and quite frankly shocking, about this year’s Mets team was their failure to win a single game after entering the ninth inning with a deficit. New York went 0-70 in those situations and was the only team in MLB to not record a comeback win in the ninth inning or later.

“It’s very difficult for me to explain how we were 0-70 trailing going into the ninth. That’s an inexplicable stat, and I’m not going to sit here and make up an answer for it,” Stearns said.

So Senga?

In his news conference, Stearns made no bones about the pitching, or run-prevention as he put it (which includes defense), being the biggest culprit in the team’s slow collapse. And while almost every pitcher fell short of their expectations whether from injury or just poor performance, perhaps the most notable was Kodai Senga who finished the season as a non-contributor to the team as he was sent to the minor leagues.

Senga’s overall numbers actually don’t look too bad as the right-hander went 7-6 with a 3.02 ERA in 22 starts over 113.1 innings pitched. But the numbers don’t tell the full story.

After injuring his hamstring in a start on June 12, Senga, who had been pitching brilliantly following a lost season, missed a month before returning to the mound. Needing the help in what was a beleaguered starting rotation at the time, the Mets chose to bring back Senga earlier than anticipated and allowed him to work up his pitch count at the big-league level.

Perhaps rushing back the fastidious Senga was a detriment because after his first outing in his return to New York, the right-hander struggled mightily. In his final seven starts, Senga had a 6.06 ERA (1.65 WHIP).

His struggles left the Mets with no choice but to send him down to the minors where they hoped he would be able to figure out his mechanics and get his confidence back up to help the team for the final push. Instead, Senga made two starts for Triple-A and pitched to a 4.66 ERA before his fastball velocity dipped during a bullpen session that gave the team cause for concern. Enough so that he didn’t make another start for the Mets despite the team and its pitching flailing.

That leaves New York and the right-hander in a precarious situation going forward, one with little faith that Senga can be counted on as he once was.

“Kodai has had two very inconsistent, challenging years in a row,” Stearns said. “We know it’s in there. We know there’s potential. We’re gonna do everything we can to help get it out of him. But no, could we put him in ink as making 30 starts next year? I think that would be foolish.”

Thumbs up

One player who should be celebrated this year is Francisco Alvarez who had a rollercoaster season. After a midseason demotion to the minor leagues following a brutal stretch, Alvarez worked hard to come back stronger than ever — which he did.

With his season seemingly back on track, the young catcher was dealt a massive blow, spraining his UCL in his right thumb. The injury put him on the IL, but soon after he was back on a minor league rehab assignment, determined to return to New York and help his team.

In his first rehab game following the injury, Alvarez was hit on the hand and broke his left pinky. With just eight healthy fingers, Alvarez made his way back to the big leagues and not only caught behind the dish, produced at the plate too.

In his last 30 games, the 23-year-old had seven home runs with a .920 OPS to completely turn his season around. He finished with a triple slash line of .256/.339/.447 in 76 games. 

The key and next step for Alvarez will be to stay healthy for a full season to fully tap into his potential. Stearns said he’s on his way to doing that as he will require surgery on his ligament which he’ll get in the coming days.

Of all the reams of words publicly spilled at Lakers media day Monday, only one really mattered.

When LeBron James was wrapping up his interview with the folks at Spectrum Sportsnet, host Chris McGee asked, “By the way, see you at next year’s media day?”

James’ laughing answer set the template for a season.

“Maybe.”

So the Lakers should treat the next eight months emptying their assets and foregoing their future and playing with the desperation of a team trying to earn one last piece of jewelry for arguably the greatest player ever?

Maybe.

So should the fans here and around the league show up in droves and line up around the block for their last live look at a living legend?

Maybe.

Or, if everything goes wrong and things get ugly, should the Lakers and James willingly part ways through a midseason buyout?

Maybe.

No matter what happens, the fact that James didn’t reveal his intentions in his first public appearance since last spring means that this Laker season has the chance to be a murky maybe mess.

Everybody knows where the Lakers stand, as Rob Pelinka said last week. He wants James to finish his career here.

“We would love if LeBron’s story would be he retire a Laker,” Pelinka said. “That would be a positive story.”

But still nobody knows where James stands, and it’s not obvious, because, while he’s 40 and entering his NBA-record 23rd season, he looks young, and acts energetic, and Monday at the Lakers facility he was at his charming best.

“Just excited about the journey and whatever this year has in store for me,” he said.

He’s probably not saying because he truly does not know. Next spring is a lifetime away. He doesn’t know how he’s going to feel. He doesn’t know how his basketball future could look.

But because he’s not saying, this season could seemingly go one of three ways.

It could go the Kershaw Way. James could once again be one of the top players in the league but get worn down by the strain on his body and in the last weeks of the season he could call it quits. The Crypto.com crowd gets a chance to say goodbye and his Lakers teammates can use his retirement as inspiration for a deep postseason run.

Or, it could go the Kobe Way. James could decide in the middle of the season that he’s had enough and embark on a league-wide farewell tour, the sort that once brought the tough Kobe Bryant to tears.

Or, given the organization’s recent sketchy history, it is entirely possible it could go the Typical Lakers Implosion Way.

James could spend the year making the Lakers dangle on that “maybe,” subtly fighting against the loss of his team leadership to Luka Doncic, passively aggressively chiding Pelinka to improve the roster at the trade deadline, even occasionally threatening to quit on the spot.

Because it’s too tough to trade him and the Lakers don’t want to spend the bucks to buy him out, they spend the rest of the season dodging his barbs, then, simply let James’ contract expire and watch him flee to home Cleveland for his swan song.

Three scenarios, but only two happy endings, and to make matters even more complicated, much depends not on James, but on the roster around him.

Are the Lakers going to be any good? Are you ready for it?

Maybe.

The Lakers only played 23 games with both James and the recently acquired Doncic last season, and they were 15-8 and grabbed a third seed and were acting like the best team in the NBA at one point before they disintegrated against Minnesota in the playoffs.

They added Deandre Ayton for length, Jake LaRavia for defense, Marcus Smart for toughness, and a new body for Doncic, a formerly pudgy and breathless kid who has acknowledged his very adult transformation.

“I’m in a better place for sure,” he said Monday.

Is that good enough to lead a team to a better place in the competitive West? Who knows?

Read more:Lakers set to open training camp: Five storylines to follow

Will it be good enough to convince James to ask for a new contract and stick around for yet another year? That doesn’t seem likely but then again, The Oldest Living Baller currently exists in the unlikely.

The only certainty is that James is going to make this decision on his own time, in his own voice, through his own podcast or social media or heck, maybe another 30-minute TV special called, “The Last Decision?”

How ever this plays out, he’s not saying anything now, which was obvious when he answered the first question at his media day news conference with dodgy utterances.

“I mean, I don’t know,” he said. “I mean, I’m excited about today, I’m excited about an opportunity to be able to play a game that I love for another season. And whatever the journey, however the journey lays out this year, I’m just super invested, because … I don’t know when the end is, but I know it’s a lot sooner than later.”

He provided his most telling hint that he’s leaning into retirement when he talked about appreciating his final tours around the league.

“Knowing that the end is soon, not taking for granted, you know, a Tuesday night in a city that maybe I don’t want to be in that night … let’s lock in because you don’t know how many times you get the opportunity to play the game or to be able to compete,” he said. “So there’s times where you wake up and you just feel like you just don’t have it. So those will be the days where I know I can lock back in real fast, like, OK, well, you won’t have many days like this, so let’s lock in and enjoy the moment, enjoy the rest of the ride.”

He was asked if, now that he’s played with son Bronny, would he stick around to play with his Arizona-freshman son Bryce? His answer was LeBron at his fatherly best.

“No, I’m not waiting on Bryce,’ he said. “No. I don’t know what his timeline is. He’s his own young man now, like he’s down in Tucson. We’ll see what happens this year, next year, you know, but he has his own timeline. I got my timeline, and I don’t know if they quite match up.”

He was asked if his decision would be influenced by a chance to play with Doncic. His answer was LeBron at his jabbing best.

“Ah, nah. As far as how long I go in my career? Nah. Zero,” he said. “The motivation to be able to play alongside him every night, that’s super motivating. That’s what I’m going to train my body for. Every night I go out there and try to be the best player I can for him, and we’re going to bounce that off one another. But as far as me weighing in on him and some other teammates of how far I go in my career, nah.”

It may be Luka Doncic’s team, but it’s still LeBron James’ world, and he’s going to control his narrative down to the last syllables of the last sentences of his final goodbye.

And that don’t mean maybe.

Sign up for our weekly newsletter on all things Lakers.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — The question drew a wry laugh from LeBron James.

Does he intend to try to stiff-arm Father Time long enough to play alongside both of his sons? Could he envision a scenario where he extends his NBA career deep enough into his 40s to share a court with not only Bronny but also 18-year-old Bryce?

“No, I’m not waiting on Bryce,” James said Monday at Lakers media day. “He has his own timeline. I’ve got my timeline. I don’t know if they quite match up.”

That was emblematic of the tone James struck during a 15-minute conversation with reporters on the eve of his 23rd NBA training camp. The 40-year-old did not commit to playing beyond this season. He insisted he still doesn’t know when he’ll retire but acknowledged it’s “a lot sooner than later.”

[Yahoo Sports TV is here! Watch live shows and highlights 24/7]

As a result, James described himself as “super-excited” and “super-invested” about a season during which he’ll partner with Luka Dončić to chase the Lakers’ 18th championship. James intends to savor even the most mundane moments as he nears the end of a glittering career that has straddled three different decades.

“I’m trying to stay present knowing that the end is soon,” James said. “Not taking for granted a Tuesday night in a city that maybe I don’t want to be in that night. Let’s lock in because I don’t know how many more times I’ll have the opportunity to play the game or compete.”

A motivated, enthusiastic James is a welcome development for the Lakers after a summer of cryptic social media posts, enigmatic statements and declined interview requests. There were times his future with the Lakers felt uncertain after the franchise chose in late June not to extend his contract beyond this season.

For the first 20-plus years of his NBA career, James was the center of his franchise’s universe, the rare superstar whose boundless influence extended to front-office decisions. As recently as 15 months ago, he coaxed the Lakers into using a second-round draft pick on Bronny when the USC product otherwise would have gone unselected.

Everything changed last January when Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison invited Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka to coffee to gauge his interest in a blockbuster trade that would jolt the rest of the NBA. By Feb. 1, Dončić was a Laker and James was suddenly no longer the cornerstone of all the team’s roster building strategy.

The transition became more stark this offseason after the Lakers ascended to No. 3 in the West but failed to advance beyond the opening round of the NBA playoffs. Dončić solidified his status as the new face of the Lakers when he made a long-term commitment to the organization, signing a three-year, $165 million contract extension. The Lakers chose not to make a similar offer to James, prioritizing contract flexibility beyond this season over committing to a legend who will turn 41 in December.

[Get more Lakers news: Los Angeles team feed]

“Optionality,” as Pelinka so often describes it, was the Lakers’ offseason priority while building a supporting cast around Dončić and James. They did not intend to mortgage all their assets in a desperate attempt to go all-in on what could be James’ final season. They preferred short-term free agent signings in hopes of improving this year’s roster without sacrificing future flexibility.

That two-timeline approach inspired a strongly worded response from James’ agent, Rich Paul, when James opted into the final year of his contract in late June. Paul told ESPN in a statement that James would evaluate what’s best for himself after closely monitoring the Lakers’ moves to see whether the team was positioning itself as a title contender.

“LeBron wants to compete for a championship,” Paul said. “He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all.”

That statement set the NBA ablaze with speculation about James’ future. Then James further stoked the flames with a series of social media posts referencing his previous stints with his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers.

Did it mean anything when LeBron posted a video of himself golfing in the Cleveland area on July 2 wearing a hat that said “Welcome Home?” What about two days later when he commented “Proper attire” when reposting a photo of Lakers team broadcaster and Cleveland native Allie Clifton wearing a Cavaliers jersey?

Whatever the answer, James wasn’t saying.

“I ain’t got nothing to talk about,” the Lakers star told Dave McMenamin on July 12 when the ESPN reporter approached him for an interview during a Lakers Summer League game.

In the end, James’ decision to opt into the final year of his contract spoke the loudest. Had he truly wanted to leave the Lakers, he could have declined his player option, hit free agency and had his pick of teams constructed to win now. By opting in, he guaranteed himself the most money possible but sacrificed leverage and control.

When asked Monday about the roster the Lakers assembled around him and Dončić, James insisted he felt good about it. He heaped praise on Pelinka’s three biggest free agent acquisitions, highlighting Deandre Ayton’s skill and athleticism, Jake LaRavia’s shooting and ball-handling, and Marcus Smart’s unselfish, team-first mentality.

James’ biggest reason for optimism entering this season is that he and Dončić have an entire training camp to figure out how to play together. As Dončić put it earlier on media day, “Me and LeBron, I think we’re the leaders of this group. Us communicating, practicing some things on the floor, I think that will help us a lot.”

Why is LeBron still playing at age 40? He cited several factors. He’s still playing at an All-NBA level. He has the chance to pursue an NBA title alongside Dončić. And, above all else, he is still enjoying the day-to-day grind of trying to be the best version of himself.

“The thing that’s still pushing me is the fact that the love of the game is still high and the love of the process is even higher,” James said. “That’s what continues to push me to play this game. It’s really that simple.”

It remains to be seen if that’s enough to coax LeBron to play beyond this season. When asked if reporters would see him at Lakers media day again next fall, James laughed once more and said only, “Maybe.”

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — The question drew a wry laugh from LeBron James.

Does he intend to try to stiff-arm Father Time long enough to play alongside both of his sons? Could he envision a scenario where he extends his NBA career deep enough into his 40s to share a court with not only Bronny but also 18-year-old Bryce?

“No, I’m not waiting on Bryce,” James said Monday at Lakers media day. “He has his own timeline. I’ve got my timeline. I don’t know if they quite match up.”

That was emblematic of the tone James struck during a 15-minute conversation with reporters on the eve of his 23rd NBA training camp. The 40-year-old did not commit to playing beyond this season. He insisted he still doesn’t know when he’ll retire but acknowledged it’s “a lot sooner than later.”

[Yahoo Sports TV is here! Watch live shows and highlights 24/7]

As a result, James described himself as “super-excited” and “super-invested” about a season during which he’ll partner with Luka Dončić to chase the Lakers’ 18th championship. James intends to savor even the most mundane moments as he nears the end of a glittering career that has straddled three different decades.

“I’m trying to stay present knowing that the end is soon,” James said. “Not taking for granted a Tuesday night in a city that maybe I don’t want to be in that night. Let’s lock in because I don’t know how many more times I’ll have the opportunity to play the game or compete.”

A motivated, enthusiastic James is a welcome development for the Lakers after a summer of cryptic social media posts, enigmatic statements and declined interview requests. There were times his future with the Lakers felt uncertain after the franchise chose in late June not to extend his contract beyond this season.

For the first 20-plus years of his NBA career, James was the center of his franchise’s universe, the rare superstar whose boundless influence extended to front-office decisions. As recently as 15 months ago, he coaxed the Lakers into using a second-round draft pick on Bronny when the USC product otherwise would have gone unselected.

Everything changed last January when Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison invited Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka to coffee to gauge his interest in a blockbuster trade that would jolt the rest of the NBA. By Feb. 1, Dončić was a Laker and James was suddenly no longer the cornerstone of all the team’s roster building strategy.

The transition became more stark this offseason after the Lakers ascended to No. 3 in the West but failed to advance beyond the opening round of the NBA playoffs. Dončić solidified his status as the new face of the Lakers when he made a long-term commitment to the organization, signing a three-year, $165 million contract extension. The Lakers chose not to make a similar offer to James, prioritizing contract flexibility beyond this season over committing to a legend who will turn 41 in December.

[Get more Lakers news: Los Angeles team feed]

“Optionality,” as Pelinka so often describes it, was the Lakers’ offseason priority while building a supporting cast around Dončić and James. They did not intend to mortgage all their assets in a desperate attempt to go all-in on what could be James’ final season. They preferred short-term free agent signings in hopes of improving this year’s roster without sacrificing future flexibility.

That two-timeline approach inspired a strongly worded response from James’ agent, Rich Paul, when James opted into the final year of his contract in late June. Paul told ESPN in a statement that James would evaluate what’s best for himself after closely monitoring the Lakers’ moves to see whether the team was positioning itself as a title contender.

“LeBron wants to compete for a championship,” Paul said. “He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all.”

That statement set the NBA ablaze with speculation about James’ future. Then James further stoked the flames with a series of social media posts referencing his previous stints with his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers.

Did it mean anything when LeBron posted a video of himself golfing in the Cleveland area on July 2 wearing a hat that said “Welcome Home?” What about two days later when he commented “Proper attire” when reposting a photo of Lakers team broadcaster and Cleveland native Allie Clifton wearing a Cavaliers jersey?

Whatever the answer, James wasn’t saying.

“I ain’t got nothing to talk about,” the Lakers star told Dave McMenamin on July 12 when the ESPN reporter approached him for an interview during a Lakers Summer League game.

In the end, James’ decision to opt into the final year of his contract spoke the loudest. Had he truly wanted to leave the Lakers, he could have declined his player option, hit free agency and had his pick of teams constructed to win now. By opting in, he guaranteed himself the most money possible but sacrificed leverage and control.

When asked Monday about the roster the Lakers assembled around him and Dončić, James insisted he felt good about it. He heaped praise on Pelinka’s three biggest free agent acquisitions, highlighting Deandre Ayton’s skill and athleticism, Jake LaRavia’s shooting and ball-handling, and Marcus Smart’s unselfish, team-first mentality.

James’ biggest reason for optimism entering this season is that he and Dončić have an entire training camp to figure out how to play together. As Dončić put it earlier on media day, “Me and LeBron, I think we’re the leaders of this group. Us communicating, practicing some things on the floor, I think that will help us a lot.”

Why is LeBron still playing at age 40? He cited several factors. He’s still playing at an All-NBA level. He has the chance to pursue an NBA title alongside Dončić. And, above all else, he is still enjoying the day-to-day grind of trying to be the best version of himself.

“The thing that’s still pushing me is the fact that the love of the game is still high and the love of the process is even higher,” James said. “That’s what continues to push me to play this game. It’s really that simple.”

It remains to be seen if that’s enough to coax LeBron to play beyond this season. When asked if reporters would see him at Lakers media day again next fall, James laughed once more and said only, “Maybe.”

Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns addressed the media on Monday afternoon, less than 24 hours after seeing his team lose to the Miami Marlins on the final day of the regular season, capping off a collapse that kept his club out of the postseason.

Stearns hit on a wide array of topics, including the possibility of shaking of the team’s position player core, as well as Pete Alonso‘s looming free agency.

While the Mets’ starting rotation is very much in flux, many of the starting position players remain under contract heading into next season, outside of Alonso and role players like Starling Marte, Jesse Winker, and Cedric Mullins.

Still, Stearns said the Mets will need to be “open-minded” when it comes to the core group of position players in order to build a team that “fits together better.”

“I think we’re going to have to be open-minded on our position player grouping so that we can improve our run prevention,” Stearns said. “Does that mean there are robust changes? I don’t know. Does that mean people could be playing different positions? Maybe. Does it mean we ask people to play different roles? Maybe.

“A day after a season ends, I’m certainly not going to commit to what things look like in spring training or Opening Day, but I’ll say it again, our run prevention this year was not good enough, and that’s pitching and defense. They go hand-in-hand, and we need to improve in both.”

He later added: “I come at this like we need to create a better roster that fits together better. I think our players worked their tails off. I think they came to the park with the right attitude every single day, and it didn’t work, so I need to take a long, hard look at our roster.”

As for Alonso, who said on Sunday that he will indeed opt out of his contract and become a free agent at the end of the season, Stearns gave an answer that he also said many times around this point in the calendar last year.

“Pete is a great Met. He had a fantastic year,” Stearns said of Alonso, who became the club’s all-time home run king this season after re-signing. “I said this last year and it worked out – I’d love to have Pete back and we’ll see where the offseason goes.”

Stearns also said that when it comes to Alonso, or any impending free agent, the player’s entire fit, on and off the field, are taken into account.

“Whenever we’re talking about departing free agents or players who were with us who are then free agents, it’s always the wholistic package of what that players brings to an organization,” Stearns said. “It’s what he means to the team on the field, it’s what that player means to the community, what that player means to the fanbase. That is always part of the decision-making process, and I imagine it will be again this offseason.”