LeBron James will opt into his $52.6 million player option with the Lakers for the 2025-26 season, bypassing the opportunity to become a free agent this week.
James, the league’s all-time leading scorer who turns 41 in December and will enter an unprecedented 23rd NBA season – breaking a tie with Vince Carter for most NBA seasons played – had until 2 p.m. on Sunday to decide on the option in his contract as part of the two-year, $101.4 million contract he signed with the Lakers last summer.
The decision, which was first reported by ESPN, came after James averaged 24.4 points while shooting 51.3% from the field (37.6% from 3-point range), 8.2 assists, 7.8 rebounds and a steal in 70 regular-season games.
He was named to a record-extending 21st All-NBA team, continuing to raise the bar for players in the latter stages of their career.
James has publicly expressed doubt about how much longer he’ll play over the last couple of years when asked about potentially retiring.
“I don’t know, I don’t have an answer to that,” James responded after the Lakers’ season ended with the first-round playoff exit to the Minnesota Timberwolves when asked how many more seasons he’ll play. “Something [I’ll] sit down with my family, my wife and my support group and kind of just talk through it and see what happens. And just have a conversation with myself on how long I want to continue to play.”
Comments made to ESPN on Sunday by James’ agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, made it less clear how much of his future with be with the Lakers.
“LeBron wants to compete for a championship,” Paul told ESPN. “He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all. We are very appreciative of the partnership that we’ve had for eight years with [Lakers owner and governor] Jeanie [Buss] and [general manager] Rob [Pelinka] and consider the Lakers as a critical part of his career.
“We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future. We do want to evaluate what’s best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what’s best for him.”
James has a no-trade clause in his contract.
His oldest son, Bronny, was drafted by the Lakers in the second round of the 2024 NBA draft.
They became the NBA’s first father-son duo in league history last season.
The elder James recently returned to on-court activities after suffering a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee during the Lakers’ first-round playoff loss to the Timberwolves.
