LeBron James will most likely play another season - the 24th of his career - and more and more signs point to him ending it in a Lakers jersey. After twenty-three years at the very top, the question is no longer whether he is going to retire, but how much more time he wants to spend delaying the inevitable.

According to Marc Stein, who remains one of the most reliable pens in the NBA, no one can name the team for certain, but the odds lean toward Los Angeles. The Lakers are already eight seasons into LeBron's career - more than anywhere else - and his son Bronny plays there, with another guaranteed year in his contract.

Numbers that don't lie: even at 41, James is still pulling the game. In the first round of the playoffs against Houston, in a six-game series, he led with averages of 23.2 points, 8.3 assists and 7.2 rebounds. The Lakers got through. Then came the Oklahoma City Thunder, the reigning champions, and the story was shorter - a clean 4-0.

If we look at the whole playoffs, LeBron played 10 games with averages of 23.2 points, 7.3 assists and 6.7 rebounds in 38.6 minutes. At 41 years old. Those are not the numbers of a player thinking about stepping away - they are the numbers of an old man who still refuses to accept what other people see.

The question still hanging over the whole story: will the Lakers offer him another year after a series that didn't end well? Stein says yes - the A-scenario for both sides. What lies behind that A-scenario is another matter. LeBron wants one more shot at a ring. The Lakers want one more season with a star. The two wishes don't have to line up forever.