James s agent said he was not involved in James retirement decision and hoped he would continue to play

Ritchie Paul did not participate in the Lakers LeBron James' retirement decision

Ritchie Paul said he did not participate in the retirement decision of Lakers star LeBron James and hoped he would continue to play.

Klutch Sports CEO Ritchie Paul clarified this week that he was not directly involved in the decision to retire from Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James. Paul said on the Ritchie Eisen Show that he “don’t know” James’ plan and stressed that their focus remains on evaluating offseason priorities, including the upcoming NBA draft and free agent market.

"I don't know at all," Paul said. "Now I'm really focused on this draft... Usually our process is to weigh all the factors and see how he feels."

40-year-old James just finished his 22nd NBA season. He played in 70 games in the season, averaging 24.4 points, 8.2 assists, 7.8 rebounds and 1 steal per game, shooting percentage as high as 51.3% and three-point shooting percentage as high as 37.6%. He led the Lakers to 50 wins in the season and ranked sixth in the MVP vote. However, the Lakers were eliminated by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs by five games. After losing the

series, James was diagnosed with a second-degree medial collateral ligament (MCL) sprain on his left knee. This injury added another layer of uncertainty to his future.

"We know he is dealing with knee issues," Paul said. "It's the same as it has been in the past few years... He'll rethink his mind at some point, and we'll talk about something carefully and start from there."

Ritchie Paul said LeBron James can play for many years and the Lakers are weighing the lineup adjustments before the critical offseason.

As the Lakers enter a critical offseason, they face the choice of how to reshape the roster around James and Luca Doncic. Doncic joined the Lakers with a heavy trade before the trade deadline. It is expected that the Lakers management will explore multiple ways to improve the lineup. James has a $52.2 million player option for the 2025-26 season and he may consider a salary cut to increase the flexibility of the roster.

When asked if he had spoken with James about how long he had retired or planned to continue playing, Paul said these topics were not part of their daily conversation.

"It's early. No, I haven't had such a conversation," Paul said. "I assume every year that he will continue playing. I have never even talked about that."

Paul added that in his opinion, James' physical condition is still enough to keep him at a high level in the coming years.

"I'm always asked about this question," he said. "I think his physical condition will allow him to play for a few more years. I think the problem is not physical condition, but your mental state."

Paul also recently responded to the remarks of former Michael Jordan agent David Fokker. Fokker criticized James for choosing the team "choosy" in his career. Paul called the remarks “unfair” and said comparing James and Jordan failed to take into account the different situations each player faced.