LeBron James to take his time as he mulls over his future

LeBron James says his family will be the key consideration as he decides whether to stay with the Cleveland Cavaliers this summer or move on.

The superstar forward, 33, finished as an NBA finals runner-up for the second year in a row and the sixth time in his career as the Cavs were swept by the Golden State Warriors on Friday night.

James, who revealed he had played the final three matches of the 4-0 series defeat with a “self-inflicted” hand injury, has an opt-out in his Cleveland deal this off-season and admits he has some difficult decisions to make.

Asked if he had played his last game for the Cavs, he told reporters at a post-match press conference: “I have no idea at this point. The one thing that I’ve always done is consider my family.

“So I will sit down and consider everything, but my family is a huge part of what I decide to do.”

James said he had “pretty much played the last three games with a broken hand” since game one. It is reported he punched a whiteboard in frustration at losing the first game on the Warriors’ home turf in overtime.

Cavs guard JR Smith ran down the clock with seconds to go, under the apparent belief that Cleveland were ahead. In fact, scores were tied and Golden State won in overtime.

“It was self-inflicted. Post-game after game one, (I was) very emotional for a lot of different reasons,” he added.

“I had emotions that the game was taken away from us, you don’t get an opportunity like this on the road, versus Golden State, to win game one, and I let the emotions get the best of me.”

James left Cleveland in 2010 in a televised process called ‘The Decision’. He moved to Miami where he won two rings, before returning to his home state of Ohio and the Cavs in 2014.