Following the Lakers’ playoff exit this season, LeBron James made a shocking hint to the sports community about his potential retirement. The NBA star’s close friends, though, tell PEOPLE that they don’t believe he’s finished playing basketball just yet.

Dru Joyce II, Willie McGee, Sian Cotton, and Romeo Travis—all residents of Akron—played alongside James, 38, at St. Vincent – St. Mary High during the NBA star’s early career. Known by many as the Fab Five, the quintet remains close to this day.

“Basketball is just one aspect of it. The 38-year-old Travis states, “I’m here today because of this organization.

The group’s high school years in Akron, Ohio, when they played basketball and dealt with James’ sudden stardom, are portrayed on screen in the recently released movie Shooting Stars.

Other than James himself, the former players may have the most accurate insider knowledge about his next professional move because they are among his closest confidants.

According to Travis, “I feel like he still has work to do, with his mentality and all that, his work isn’t done.”Travis tells PEOPLE that the Lakers star’s desire to continue playing is further supported by their talk from only one day before. “I talked to him yesterday and asked what he’s doing today, you know, he said he was working out.”

After expressing on several occasions that he would like to play in the NBA with his son Bronny once the 18-year-old becomes eligible for the draft in 2024, James’ enigmatic remarks regarding his retirement caught supporters off guard.Following the conclusion of his team’s season on May 22, the four-time NBA MVP remarked, “We’ll see what happens going forward.” “I have no idea. I have no idea. To be honest, I’m thinking about a number of things. Just for me personally, I want to continue playing basketball.