LeBron James’ :talk of retirement without a sense of panic.

 There will be no pleading, no cajoling and no arm-twisting.

The Los Angeles Lakers instead will provide support to LeBron James as the 38-year-old NBA superstar decides whether to return for next season, according to Lakers vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka and head coach Darvin Ham.

Obviously our hope would be that his career continues,” said Pelinka, who also serves as the Lakers general manager. “But we want to again give him the time to have that inflection point and support him along the way in everything he does.”

Ham also addressed the situation during a joint press conference with Pelinka on Tuesday, the morning after the Denver Nuggets completed a four-game sweep of the Lakers in the Western Conference finals.

Coming off a tough loss like that after the work we’ve put in this season, I think I was ready to retire after last night, too,” Ham said, drawing laughter from the media. “But in all honestly and seriousness, LeBron has earned the right to do whatever he wants to do, make whatever choice.”

As previously scheduled, Pelinka and Ham met with the media at the team’s training facility for an end-of-the-season assessment. But what the duo apparently did not anticipate until late Monday night was they’d be fielding questions about James’ future.

After the game, a 113-111 loss to the Nuggets during which James had a brilliant performance – 40 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists – he hinted at retirement during a press conference. Later he told ESPN he would consider walking away before next season, which would be the 21st of his NBA career.