While Austin Reaves has yet to return to the court, despite a deleted tweet from ESPN's Shams Charania saying he would on against the Cavaliers, Wednesday night's focus was all on LeBron James as the all-time great returned to face the Cleveland Cavaliers in a marquee matchup.

It's been a strong stretch of play for the Los Angeles Lakers, leading up to Wednesday's contest, with recent wins over the Chicago Bulls and Denver Nuggets during their eight-game road trip. However, going up against the Cavaliers was going to be an extra emotional contest, and need all the Lakers could get from their players.

The game was close between the Lakers and the Cavaliers entering halftime, but the second half was a different story, with Cleveland outscoring LA 72-44 en route to a 129-99 victory. Luka Doncic did what he could with 29 points and six assists, but James was held to just 11 points.

Not only was it LeBron's worst scoring performance as an opposing player in Cleveland, but his worst loss in the city as an opponent as well. While his mom was able to see him and Bronny both play on Wednesday, she didn't get to see LeBron secure a win on a night where all eyes were on him.

Additionally, there was plenty of conversation about whether it was his last game in Cleveland, with rumors about a retirement floating around. LeBron spoke after the game and said he didn't even expect to be playing at this point in his life.

"Eight years ago when I left to go to LA, if you would have asked would I still be playing in 2026, I would have said no. After going to eight straight finals and with all the energy and all the mental toll and the physical toll that it took on me and obviously my teammates...there's no way I could of foresee that," James said.

During his 30s, LeBron played some of his most important basketball, appearing in the NBA Finals five times, four with Cleveland and one with the Lakers. Add in the four Finals he appeared in with the Heat, and James has played more than any player in the history of the league.

"Couple more years, yeah. I'll go out and play at a high level...I have not even thought to the point of like a farewell tour or whatever the case may be because I haven't had that conversation with myself and my family on when it's over," he added.

The question of when it will be over for James continues to be brought up, but it seems as though it isn't on his mind right now. His future with the Lakers remains up in the air as he's set to hit free agency this summer, so perhaps a return to Cleveland could be on his mind after experiencing what he did on Wednesday with that home crowd.