CITY SECTION BASEBALL PLAYOFFS

WEDNESDAY’S RESULTS

Semifinals

At Cal State Northridge

OPEN DIVISION

#2 El Camino Real 4, #8 Granada Hills 3

#1 Birmingham 4, #4 Carson 1

At Stengel Field

DIVISION I

#10 Taft 2, #3 Venice 0

#13 Verdugo Hills 2, #1 Sylmar 1

FRIDAY’S SCHEDULE

FINALS

At East LA College

DIVISION II

#6 South East vs. #5 LA Roosevelt, 5:30 p.m.

At Fremont

DIVISION III

#9 LA Hamilton vs. #7 Fremont, 2:30 p.m.

SATURDAY’S SCHEDULE

FINALS

At Dodger Stadium

OPEN DIVISION

#2 El Camino Real vs. #1 Birmingham, 1 p.m.

DIVISION I

#10 Taft vs. #1 Verdugo Hills

LeBron James’ eighth season in Los Angeles ended with a four-game sweep in the Western Conference semifinals at the hands of the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Lakers’ playoff exit fueled more questions about James’ NBA future and a potential 24th season.

James remains undecided about his basketball future, but he did reveal plans to take time with his family before making any decision. “I don’t know what the future holds for me, obviously, as it stands right now tonight,” James said on May 11. “I’ve got a lot of time now. I think I said it last year after we lost to Minnesota. I’ll go back and recalibrate with my family and talk with them and spend some time with them, and then obviously when the time comes, you guys will know what I decide to do.”

As speculation about his future intensifies, James’ name has been linked to the Lakers, Warriors and even a potential return to Cleveland, where his storied career began.

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If James ultimately did return to his native Ohio, it would mark his third stint with the Cavaliers. He reunited with the team in 2014 after a four-year run with the Miami Heat, bringing Cleveland its first NBA title in 2016.

The Cavaliers dropped Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals to the New York Knicks on Tuesday, but James still appeared to hint at a potential offseason destination on social media.

LEBRON JAMES NEXT TEAM ODDS: LAKERS, CAVALIERS, RETIREMENT IN MIX

James reportedly liked an Instagram post calling for a return to Cleveland.

Even if James wants a return to Cleveland, the Cavaliers would face major financial obstacles in making it happen. The 41-year-old would likely need to take a sizable pay cut, assuming the team could work out a sign-and-trade deal with the Lakers.

The Cavaliers already carry several sizable contracts on their roster, with star guard Donovan Mitchell and center Evan Mobley both scheduled to earn more than $50 million annually next season. James Harden could also exercise his $42.3 million player option, while forward Jarrett Allen is projected to count roughly $28 million against the salary cap next season.

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James averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists during the 2025-26 regular season.

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If anyone needs a definition for what grinding means in sports, sophomore Carlos Acuna’s performance on Wednesday at Cal State Northridge provided the answer.

In six of seven innings, the Birmingham High pitcher saw Carson get the leadoff man on base. That’s usually something that leads to disaster. But Acuna kept coming up with key strikeouts pitching into the seventh.

Coach Matt Mowry was asked if Acuna was close to being pulled.

“Heck, yeah,” he said. “He was on the edge of coming out.”

Except Acuna refused to give Mowry the chance. He got a fly ball out to right field to end a 4-1 complete-game victory to send Birmingham into the City Section Open Division championship game on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Dodger Stadium against West Valley League rival El Camino Real, a 4-3 winner over Granada Hills. Birmingham has won eight City titles. El Camino Real has won 10.

Acuna threw 102 pitches to finish his pitching season with an 11-0 record. He struck out seven, walked three and gave up four hits. As he has done all season, he pitched with the maturity of a senior. Nothing fazes him.

“It’s an amazing season he’s having,” Mowry said.

He has thrown 91 innings and since Birmingham has opted out of playing in the state playoffs, Saturday’s game at Dodger Stadium will be his last this season. He’ll be playing third base or second base, and that’s fine with him.

“I love this team,” Acuna said. “I want to play one last game.”

When in trouble, Acuna turned to his slider as his out pitch. The only run he gave up came in the sixth inning after Xavier Allen had a double and scored on a ground out.

JJ Rodriguez contributed two RBIs for Birmingham and JuJu Monroe-Truitt had two hits and one RBI.

It will be No. 1-seeded Birmingham against No. 2-seeded El Camino Real on Saturday in a venue both programs know well. Nathan Soto will start on the mound for Birmingham and Hudson December for El Camino Real.