Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James (AFP)

LeBron James is reportedly considering retirement from basketball after the Los Angeles Lakers exited the NBA playoffs at the hands of the Denver Nuggets on Monday.

ESPN reported that the 38-year-old was thinking about "walking away" from the sport after the Lakers' defeat ended his 20th season in the league.

Chris Haynes, a reporter for the TNT broadcaster, said in a separate tweet citing league sources that James's retirement was "under consideration".

BREAKING: Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is unsure if he’ll be with team when 2023-24 season starts in fall and retirement is under consideration, league sources tell @NBAonTNT, @BleacherReport. https://t.co/7M3WuEzwOL
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) May 23, 2023

James himself fuelled speculation about his future in a puzzling post-game press conference, saying that he planned to take time to reflect on the next stage of his career after the Lakers' exit.

Asked for his reflections on the past season, in which he became the league's all-time leading points scorer and took the Lakers to the brink of the NBA Finals, James said the campaign had been "challenging".

"I don't know. I think it was okay. I don't like to say it's a successful year because I don't play for anything besides winning championships at this point in my career," indicated James, who scored 40 points in the Lakers' 113-111 loss on Monday.

"I don't get a kick out of making a Conference (finals) appearance. I've done it, a lot. And it's not fun to me to not be able to be a part of getting to the Finals."

He continued, "We'll see what happens going forward. I don't know. I've got a lot to think about to be honest," adding, "Just for me personally, going forward with the game of basketball, I've got a lot to think about."

It is noteworthy that James signed a two-year contract extension with the Lakers last August that would keep him at the club through the 2024-2025 season.

He has long said that he wants to prolong his career in order to play with or against his eldest son Bronny James, who will play college basketball next season at the University of Southern California, and who could conceivably enter the NBA in time for the 2024-2025 campaign.