ESPN analyst 'not buying' LeBron James' retirement talk

James' surprising comments came late Monday night after his Los Angeles Lakers were swept in the Western Conference Finals by the Denver Nuggets.

The 2003 No. 1 overall pick finished the Game 4 loss with a game-high 40 points (31 in the first half) and team-high nine assists (against just one turnover), while adding 10 rebounds and shooting an efficient 15-for-25 from the field (including 4-for-7 on three-pointers). James played all but the final seconds of the first half and was on the court for the entire second half but was blocked by Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon as he was driving to the basket attempting to send the game to overtime as time expired.

Aside from three-point struggles in the first two games of the series, the 38-year-old was superb in the series defeat, averaging 27.8 points, 10 assists and 9.5 rebounds per game.

What made James' comments most surprising was that he's been saying for months, if not years, that he plans to stay in the league until he can share an NBA court with his oldest son, Bronny. The 18-year-old USC-commit will first be draft-eligible in 2024.

Earlier this year, King James said he plans to play for "at least a few more years." Based on the elite level of play he's still producing, it wouldn't be a shock to soon hear the four-time MVP backtrack on his comments from Monday night.