LOS ANGELES -- Earlier this month, LeBron James sat in the interview room inside Crypto.com Arena and told the world what keeps him motivated to play in the NBA.

"If my mind goes, then my body will just be like, 'OK, what are we doing?'" James said after the third game of the Los Angeles Lakers' first-round win against the Memphis Grizzlies.

The subject that precipitated the answer was the idea of staying in the league long enough to play alongside his eldest son, Bronny, who had committed to USC earlier in the day on May 6.

Publicly, James had been crystal clear about his feelings about retirement. Contractually, he has two years and $97.1 million dollars remaining. But spiritually, he showed the first signs of doubt Monday night after the Lakers' season ended despite an incredible Game 4 effort by James on both sides of the court in a 113-111 Game 4 loss to the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference finals.

"We'll see what happens going forward," James said. "I don't know. I don't know. I've got a lot to think about, to be honest. I've got a lot to think about, to be honest. Just for me personally going forward with the game of basketball."

When ESPN's Dave McMenamin asked him to clarify, James confirmed he was talking about "if I want to continue to play."

It was a stunning sentiment in the wake of what had been an all-time performance by James until Nuggets guard Jamal Murray grabbed the basketball out of his hands on the final play of the game to secure the sweep and Denver's first NBA Finals berth. James had 40 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists and nearly willed the Lakers past a team he later said was the best he and Anthony Davis had faced in their four years together in Los Angeles.

Maybe it was the disappointment of the moment talking. James had played all but four seconds of Monday's game, defending both Nikola Jokic and Murray for long stretches. The longest view in sports is the road back to the place your season just ended.

Maybe it was a leverage play to pressure vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka into retaining some of the core players who'd emerged for the Lakers during this improbable playoff run or to pursue free-agent-to-be Kyrie Irving, who just happened to be in attendance Monday night (and sitting under the same basket where James was unable to get that final shot off).

Maybe it was the nostalgia of seeing his friend Carmelo Anthony retire earlier Monday, with a video James helped him record a week prior.

Only James knows what precipitated those thoughts of retirement. But he said it out loud, and so the NBA world will wait with baited breath until he speaks on it again.

The Nuggets had left the arena by the time the full weight of what they might have just done landed. Advancing to the first NBA Finals in team history was still soaking in.

But sending James into the offseason contemplating his future in basketball? That's something no one could see coming.

Not after James had scored the most points in a quarter (23) and a half (31) in his playoff career to stake the Lakers to a 15-point halftime lead.

"Having coached him for five years in Cleveland, he understood what time it was with their team, firmly back against the wall," Nuggets coach Michael Malone said of James' Game 4 performance.

"In that first half he showed why he's one of the all-time great players. [James] literally put his team on his back and just went at us."

But the Nuggets responded to James' best shot in the third quarter, erasing the Lakers' lead with a 34-14 run as Jokic pushed the pace at every opportunity.

"That's all him," Malone told ESPN. "He's like a point center. That's who he is. That's who he's been and that's when we're at our best."

Jokic and the Nuggets should be the focus after their brilliant play in this series. But there are nine days until Game 1 of the NBA Finals with a giant question now looming after James' parting statements.

Malone might quibble with attention shifting to the Lakers, as he did after the first game of this series. He will definitely use it as motivation for his team going forward.

Jokic will not.

"I think you're just happy that you won a game," Jokic said. "You beat a really, really good team. Every game but the first game was so close. Anyone could have won it, and we just find a way to win the game. Especially we were down 15, to come back and win the game, it was just probably happiness. I think that's the emotions."

After he scored what proved to be the winning basket, Jokic went into a nondescript tunnel, sat down on a bench in the makeshift weight room that had been set up for the visiting team and went through a punishing lower body workout.

Jokic has lifted weights after every game he was able to for the past four seasons, knowing that the only way he'd earn true respect in this league is if he was the last man standing at the end of the season.

This is how it is for every all-time great. He has won two MVP awards. Monday night, he won the Magic Johnson Western Conference finals MVP award after his NBA playoff-record eighth triple-double of the postseason with 30 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists in 45 minutes. But individual awards start to wear heavy on one's head after a while.

"Nothing," Jokic said when ESPN's Lisa Salters asked him what it meant to be named the MVP of the conference finals during the on-court trophy presentation.

An hour afterward, Jokic even went out of his way to say Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid deserved the regular-season MVP award this season and that it was "mean" for anyone to say he didn't.

Some of that is genuine respect and empathy Jokic has for the plight Embiid finds himself in after Philadelphia's dispiriting second-round playoff loss.

Jokic has been in that position himself -- with critics questioning the MVP awards he won that were not backed up by playoff success.

This is how it goes for players such as James and Jokic when a season ends short of a championship.

"I don't like to say it's a successful year because I don't play for anything besides winning championships at this point in my career," James said.

Now he'll decide whether to keep playing while Jokic and the Nuggets play for their first championship.

ATLANTA -- Hard-throwing right-hander Bobby Miller, one of the Los Angeles Dodgers' top prospects, will make his debut against the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night.

Manager Dave Roberts confirmed the plan for Miller on Monday before another rookie, right-hander Gavin Stone, made his second start against the Braves.

Miller was with the team Monday in preparation for his debut.

"He's got a ton of friends and family coming," Roberts said of Miller, a native of Elk Grove Village, Illinois.

"He's got big stuff. I think we've all been looking forward to him making his Dodgers major league debut. He's excited and it's actually sort of fun that you get these two guys going back to back against a club like this."

Miller (6-foot-5, 220 pounds) was the No. 29 overall pick in the 2020 June draft from Louisville. Known for his ability to throw 100 mph fastballs, Miller was 1-1 with a 5.65 ERA in five starts for Triple-A Oklahoma City this season.

The Dodgers have been forced to use rookies to fill the rotation after placing Dustin May (right elbow pain) and left-hander Julio Urías (hamstring) on the injured list. Two other candidates to start, Michael Grove and Ryan Pepiot, also are on the IL.

Roberts said he has told Miller "to just be yourself. I think the natural emotions and adrenaline happen organically so don't try to create that. Just be yourself. ... Don't try to throw 110. Just throw 100 and it'll be there. I just think enjoy the moment. You've earned it. You belong here and go compete."

Roberts said he believes Miller is ready for his debut despite his underwhelming statistics in his brief experience at Triple-A.

"I think the makeup is one thing and obviously the physicality, the stuff," Roberts said. "And he's pitched well recently. So I think with those kind of things, the time is now, given all the circumstances. We could try to put together a soft landing, but I think this is the right time for Bobby."

The Dodgers also on Monday placed star left-hander Clayton Kershaw on the bereavement list so he can attend his mother's funeral. Kershaw is expected to rejoin the team at its next stop (Tampa Bay) and make his next start on Saturday.

Kershaw, 35, is 6-4 with a 2.98 ERA and 69 strikeouts in 57⅓ innings this season, his 16th with the Dodgers.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

CLEVELAND -- Will Brennan only tried to hit the ball. What happened after that wasn't by design.

The rookie Cleveland Guardians outfielder hit a hard grounder that accidentally killed a bird wandering on the infield grass during the second inning of Monday night's 3-0 victory over the Chicago White Sox.

With none out and a runner at first base, Brennan, a left-handed hitter, went the other way with a 92.6 mph fastball from Chicago's Jesse Scholtens. The liner connected with a small bird that had wandered into a dangerous place.

The ball, clocked at 100.1 mph, sent the bird flying, and when Brennan got to first, he put his hands on his helmet and grimaced. Umpires called time, allowing a member of the grounds crew to remove the dead bird with a shovel.

Following the game, Brennan posted an apology on Twitter.

"I truly am sorry @peta and bird enthusiasts," Brennan wrote. "An unfortunate sacrifice."

It's the second time in a week that a major league player has unintentionally killed a bird.

Last week, Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zac Gallen unintentionally struck and killed a bird while warming up in the outfield before a game against the Oakland Athletics. Gallen threw a curveball that hit the bird in midflight.

Gallen's shot brought to mind Arizona Hall of Fame pitcher Randy Johnson, who famously obliterated a bird that flew in front of the plate during one of the left-hander's fastballs in a 2001 spring training game.

Warren Gatland already had plenty to consider for the World Cup, but the shock retirements of Alun Wyn Jones and Justin Tipuric have added to his list.

Whether both would have gone to France is a moot point, with the belief that Tipuric would have, but Jones a doubt.

However, former Wales lock Ian Gough said Gatland now "has his hands full".

Gatland hinted at a changing of the guard in the Wales team when he took the head coach job for a second time in December.

At the time, he admitted he would have a "chat" with some senior players as he looked to balance experience with youth while making sure he had players able to perform.

Wales are a squad of extremes. There is a disparity between the Test veteran 30-somethings arguably past their prime and a class of youngsters brimming with potential, but raw at international level.

Ideally Gatland would have a core of players aged 25 or 26 with at least 30-odd caps to their names. The simple fact is he does not.

Gatland also knows time is against him. He spent the Six Nations scrolling through his options, making 26 changes over the five games - the most of any head coach in the tournament.

"Warren has got his hands full and is in a situation he hasn't really been in before," said Gough, who won 64 caps for Wales.

"He's always had that core group but we've seen since he came back that he doesn't quite know the team he wants to play.

"You always thought under Warren that he knew that and at times, early in his tenure, he actually wasn't changing enough and developing players.

"But now he's being forced to do that and especially in difficult circumstances, given what's been happening in Welsh rugby over the last year."

Back-row riches

There has been no move to replace either Jones or Tipuric in the 54-strong training group group and it appears unlikely there will be.

The back row has long been a position of strength in Wales, since the days of Colin Charvis, Martyn Williams and Sam Warburton, and is the most competitive area of the squad this year again.

Gatland already has the ball-winning abilities of Jac Morgan and Tommy Reffell as well as the "explosiveness" of Taine Basham in the squad, while Josh Macleod is also an option, so Cardiff's Thomas Young looks set to miss out again.

"We've got lots of good sevens in Wales. There always has been but Tipuric had that extra quality," said Gough.

"He was a match-winner with his vision, athleticism and reading of the game. He wasn't from the WRU [Welsh Rugby Union] manual, he could just play. So Wales will really miss that."

Second-row strength

In his statement, Jones eluded to "ongoing dialogue with the coaching staff", fuelling speculation of whether he jumped or was pushed.

Jones' contract with Ospreys and Wales went through to the end of the World Cup, which suggests it was his intention to play at a fifth tournament.

However, he slipped down the pecking order during the Six Nations, behind heir-apparent Adam Beard and Dafydd Jenkins, and with Cory Hill and Will Rowlands returning from exile and injury respectively, Jones' place in the squad, let alone the starting team, was under serious threat.

Gough said: "I'd have loved to see Alun Wyn go to a fifth World Cup but it's all about succession planning. Will Rowlands has certain Alun Wyn attributes. He's a big strong man who puts himself about on the pitch and is a good leader as well. He could be the natural successor but he's had a big injury, so we'll have to see how he goes."

Captaincy conundrum

This is the one area where the retirements have made Gatland's job slightly easier.

He delayed naming his captain until closer to the start of the tournament and both Jones and Tipuric could have been candidates having done the job before.

Scarlets hooker Ken Owens led the side during this year's Six Nations and was praised by the head coach for his leadership during a troubled campaign, not least during the threatened player strike.

However, the 36-year-old also needs to establish himself as first-choice hooker with Ryan Elias, Dewi Lake and Elliot Dee coming back from injury.

Toulon fly-half Dan Biggar is the other leading candidate unless Gatland was to repeat his appointment of handing Warburton the armband for the 2011 World Cup when the flanker was aged just 22.

If the coach is looking to the future, Beard, Morgan, Lake or even Jenkins, who has led Exeter this season, are all regarded as potential captains.

HENDERSON, Nev. -- Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis acknowledged Monday he has "come to an agreement" with Tom Brady for the retired quarterback and future Pro Football Hall of Famer to join the organization's ownership group, pending NFL approval.

"We're excited for Tom to join the Raiders," Davis told ESPN in a phone call from the NFL spring meeting in Minneapolis, "and it's exciting because he will be just the third player in the history of the National Football League to become an owner."

The other two: George Halas and Jerry Richardson.

Davis, though, had no comment when asked if Brady finally admitted to him if the Tuck Rule play was actually a fumble.

The play, in an AFC divisional playoff game at the New England Patriots on Jan. 19, 2002, launched Brady and the Pats as a dynasty while hastening the Raiders' decline, as they have not won a playoff game since appearing in the Super Bowl the following year.

Brady went on to win six Super Bowls with New England and another with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before retiring this offseason after 23 seasons in the NFL and holding a majority of the league's career passing records.

Brady also is part of Davis' WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces ownership group, acquiring a stake in March.

At least 24 current NFL team owners have to approve Brady's partnership, which is the case with all minority and majority owners.

It is believed that Brady's 10-year, $375 million contract to broadcast NFL games with Fox, which is due to start in 2024, would be unaffected by an investment in the Raiders, as a source previously told ESPN's Seth Wickersham and Adam Schefter that Fox had "blessed" the arrangement.

Brady reportedly showed interest in a minority ownership stake with the Miami Dolphins in 2021 and 2022, and a six-month NFL investigation determined that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross and vice chairman/limited partner Bruce Beal -- a friend of Brady's -- violated the league's anti-tampering policy in conversations with Brady. The Dolphins were stripped of their first-round draft pick in last month's draft as a result.

Brady, a sixth-round draft choice of New England in 2000, would join a cavalcade of former Patriots in Las Vegas, foremost among them second-year Raiders coach Josh McDaniels, who was Brady's offensive coordinator in New England from 2006 to 2008 and 2012 to 2019. General manager Dave Ziegler also came to the Raiders from New England, as have quarterbacks Jimmy Garoppolo and Brian Hoyer, edge rusher Chandler Jones, running back Brandon Bolden, fullback Jakob Johnson and wide receivers Jakobi Meyers and Phillip Dorsett.

Brady, who came out of a 41-day retirement last offseason, is not expected to play again. And even if he did, as an owner, a dual role with the Raiders would have to be approved by NFL owners.

Davis had no comment when asked about such a scenario.

The Raiders were interested in signing Brady as a free agent when the team relocated from Oakland to Las Vegas in 2020, a move scuttled by then-coach Jon Gruden.

"Those decisions were made and that's, you know, how life goes," Davis said at the NFL's annual league meeting in March.

The Raiders signed Garoppolo, Brady's backup in New England from 2014 to 2016, in free agency to be the team's quarterback after moving on from nine-year starter Derek Carr.

Fanatics Collectibles announced the acquisition of PWCC Marketplace, one of the world's largest sports card, memorabilia and collectible auction houses.

PWCC is also well-known for their PWCC Vault, a storage facility in Oregon that houses some of the rarest and most valuable sports cards and collectibles in the world.

The value of the acquisition was not made public.

"PWCC has built a strong business with incredible technology and a leading marketplace and vault," a source from Fanatics told ESPN. "We see a huge opportunity to bring the PWCC platform into the Fanatics Collectibles family and further build and strengthen the foundation that currently exists."

In January 2022, Fanatics acquired Topps' trading card and collectibles arm in a deal sources say was in the $500 million range -- less than half a year after making behemoth deals with the three major American sports leagues to produce sports cards. (Panini currently has deals with the NBPA and NFLPA to produce cards through 2025 and 2026, respectively -- but Fanatics has deals in place when they expire, including a 20-year deal with the NFLPA. The NFL has yet to agree to a deal with Fanatics.)

Just over a week ago, Fanatics also purchased the U.S. operations of PointBets for $150 million, a move that comes as Fanatics launches sports betting and digital casino operations.

Despite PWCC layoffs in late April that eliminated roughly 25% of its workforce, Fanatics has announced that "all of PWCC's 125 employees" will move over, though it's not immediately clear how PWCC's platform will be utilized or integrated.

It's believed, according to sources close to the deal, that the acquisition will prove beneficial to the still-to-come Fanatics Live, a live shopping platform and commerce service for collectors. Fanatics Live, expected to launch in the second half of 2023, will focus on money-pooled case and box breaks to start.

According to sources, Fanatics Live at first will focus solely on trading cards.

The upcoming platform, however, will allow Fanatics to compete in the auction space with established entities like Goldin (the subject of the Netflix series "King of Collectables: The Goldin Touch"), Heritage, SCP and Robert Edwards Auctions, among others.

In 2021, the global sports memorabilia market, including trading cards, was valued at just over $26 billion; by 2032, it's expected to eclipse $220 billion. No company has a bigger footprint in that space, or stands to in the coming years, than Fanatics -- valued at $31 billion as recently as December, with a projected revenue of $8 billion in 2023.

SEATTLE -- The Seattle Mariners are hopeful of getting three major contributors back from injuries in the next couple of weeks.

Infielder Dylan Moore played in three games at Class A Everett and will move to Triple-A Tacoma to continue his rehab assignment later this week with the chance he will be activated during Seattle's 10-game homestand, general manager Justin Hollander said Monday. Moore hasn't played this season due to a core injury.

Relief pitchers Andres Munoz (deltoid strain) and Penn Murfee (elbow inflammation) both had platelet rich plasma injections and are improving, Hollander said. The team is hopeful both players will be ready sometime during Seattle's next trip, which begins June 2 in Texas.

That was the end of the good news for Seattle, as Hollander said the team believes pitcher Easton McGee will need Tommy John surgery after flirting with a no-hitter in his only start this season.

Hollander said there is some instability in the ulnar collateral ligament in McGee's right elbow. Hollander said McGee's elbow has not responded to treatment as hoped and that major surgery appears to be the likely course.

McGee was called up by Seattle on April 29 and started against the Toronto Blue Jays that night. He threw 6 2/3 hitless innings before giving up a double to Matt Chapman for the Blue Jays' first hit of the game.

It was just the second appearance in McGee's career after pitching in one game for the Tampa Bay Rays late last season. He had made five starts at Triple-A Tacoma before getting called up to the Mariners.

Former first-round pick Evan White is also looking at a long recovery after undergoing surgery on Monday to repair a tendon issue in his hip. Hollander said White, who won a Gold Glove for Seattle in 2020 but has been limited by injuries since, is likely to need at least three months of rehab before resuming baseball activities.

PITTSBURGH -- Jacob deGrom threw a 32-pitch bullpen session Monday before the Texas Rangers played the Pittsburgh Pirates as the right-hander continues his recovery from elbow inflammation.

"It went really, really well," Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said. "He said he feels great and didn't feel anything at all there."

DeGrom threw all fastballs. He will add breaking balls to the mix when he throws his next bullpen Friday, when the Rangers play at Baltimore.

Bochy said no timetable has been established for deGrom's return, and that the 34-year-old could possibly be added to the active roster without a minor league rehab assignment. There is a possibility that he throws again Friday in Baltimore.

"He will start spinning it now," Bochy said.

DeGrom has been on the 15-day injured list since April 29. That was a day after he departed early for the second time in his last three starts, and an MRI showed some inflammation.

Texas has won all six games started by deGrom (2-0), but he has been limited to 30⅓ innings. He has a 2.67 ERA with 45 strikeouts and four walks.

DeGrom played his first nine big league seasons with the New York Mets. He was limited to 156⅓ innings over 26 starts the past two years because of injuries before signing his $185 million, five-year deal in free agency in December.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Carlos Correa's eventful offseason included a period where the free agent shortstop agreed to a deal with the San Francisco Giants. But an ankle issue led to a failed physical, and the deal with the Giants fell apart.

Correa ended up re-signing with the Minnesota Twins on a six-year guaranteed deal, much shorter than the 13 years he would have signed for with the Giants. On Monday, Correa faced off against the team he nearly joined in the offseason as San Francisco opened a three-game series at Target Field against Correa and the Twins.

"I'm the type of guy that turns the page pretty easily," Correa said Monday. "When that didn't get done, then we moved on from that. We go play this game like any other game and any other series, just try to win the series."

Correa said he had good conversations with many players and personnel in the Giants organization before the deal fell apart. That included manager Gabe Kapler, who was asked Monday about Correa.

"I think it was one of the reasons that we were trying so hard to sign him, because from a character perspective, from a work ethic perspective, the teammate that he has been in his career, it's really elite," Kapler said. "I think Carlos is going to get the best out of his ability. We obviously wish him a ton of success. Hopefully that happens after we leave town."

Asked Monday if he was surprised his ankle caused him to fail the physical, Correa said he was "very shocked." He became the second big-time free agent the Giants courted in the offseason to sign elsewhere, as slugger Aaron Judge stayed with the Yankees.

In his first season with the Twins last year, Correa hit .291 with 22 homers and 64 RBIs in 136 games. He has been off to a slow start offensively in 2023, hitting just .206 with six homers in 43 games.

But as he reflected on his turbulent offseason, Correa reiterated he's glad to be back with Minnesota.

"Now that I'm in a stage with my son that I'm enjoying every single thing that he does now, it makes me really happy," Correa said. "It just makes me realize that I might not have wanted to play all the 13 years, because at some point I want to be a full-time father and I want to be present for my kid. Looking back at it now, me and my wife, we think it worked out for the best. Now I can make the decision after six years if I want to keep playing or not."

LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Dodgers announced Monday that a satirical LGBTQIA+ group called the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence will again be welcome at the team's annual Pride Night, nearly a week after the team rescinded its original invitation.

"We have asked the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to take their place on the field at our 10th annual LGBTQ+ Pride Night on June 16th," a team statement said. "We are pleased to share that they have agreed to receive the gratitude of our collective communities for the lifesaving work that they have done tirelessly for decades."

The group will receive the Community Hero Award in a ceremony before the Dodgers' home game against the San Francisco Giants.

After "much thoughtful feedback," the team also apologized to the group and the LGBTQ+ community, friends and families.

pic.twitter.com/626cPP4Ith

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) May 22, 2023

The Sisters, a group of mainly men who dress as nuns, is a charity, protest and performance group founded in 1979 in San Francisco. Its Los Angeles chapter was to have received the Community Hero Award.

Last Wednesday, however, the Dodgers announced that they had removed the Sisters from the group of Pride Night honorees, citing "the strong feelings of people who have been offended" by them.

That followed a backlash from some conservative Roman Catholics and politicians, including Florida's Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, who accused the group of mocking nuns and the Christian faith.

The group denied it was anti-Catholic. On its website, the group said it uses "humor and irreverent wit to expose the forces of bigotry, complacency and guilt that chain the human spirit."

However, the Dodgers' decision sparked its own backlash from LGBTQIA+ groups around the country, with some deciding to pull out of Pride Night.

On Saturday, Anaheim Mayor Ashleigh Aitken tweeted an invitation for the Sisters to join her for the Los Angeles Angels' Pride Night on June 7.

In their new statement, the Dodgers said they will continue working with "LGBTQ+ partners to better educate ourselves, find ways to strengthen the ties that bind and use our platform to support all of our fans who make up the diversity of the Dodgers family."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.