LeBron James will return for another season.
King James is exercising his $52.6million player option for 2025-26, and will become the first player in NBA history to play a 23rd year.
James will be back for a record-breaking 23rd NBA seasonGettyThe Association’s all-time leading scorer wants to compete for a championship next term, and potentially beyond, and has made that intention very clear.
His decision to return to the Los Angeles Lakers was confirmed to ESPN by Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul on Sunday.
James is said to be closely monitoring any moves the Lakers make, and whether the team is positioning itself this offseason to field a ‘title-contending roster’.
“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 Jeanie (Buss) and 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.”
Now 40-years-old, James is entering a record-setting NBA season and has previously said he remains uncertain about whether he wants to play more than one more year.
James has been with the Lakers for seven years, and wants one more title runGettyHe has a no-trade clause in his contract, and is 50 games away from breaking Robert Parish’s record for most career regular-season games (1,611).
It remains to be seen how long he will remain with the Lakers — despite what he has said in the past.
The Golden State Warriors inquired about trading for James in February 2024, before the team, through Paul, confirmed they were not interested.
James expressed his desire to continue playing for Los Angeles at the time, and a few months later, the team drafted his son, Bronny.
“I am a Laker, and I’m happy and been very happy being a Laker the last six years and hopefully it stays that way,” the NBA icon said at the time.
James later signed a two-year, $104m contract extension in July 2024.
LeBron and Bronny made father-son history with the Lakers last seasonGettyBut the star’s decision to go public with his intent to compete for a championship next season is rather unusual, and piles pressure on a Lakers franchise as it enters a period of potentially massive change.
Billionaire Mark Walter has agreed to purchase controlling interest in LA, at a record-setting $10bn valuation.
The Lakers have since confirmed that Buss, who was mentioned in the Klutch Sports statement to ESPN, will ‘remain governor of the franchise and continue to oversee all team operations on a day-to-day basis for the foreseeable future.’
James, of course, is an all-time great and putting him in the best spot possible to win a championship in what could be his final year would be fitting.
But the Lakers, which made an earth-shattering trade for Luka Doncic last season, must now make every decision with the long-term in mind — and LeBron will not be part of the long-term.
In 26-year-old Doncic, they have a younger, world-class talent to build around.
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The Lakers will need to choose between prioritizing LeBron or Luka in 2025GettyAnd as much as they would like a deep playoff run with both him and James, last season’s elimination to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first-round proved the roster as it stands is not championship-ready.
James has now made it publicly known that he will not be hanging around to make up the numbers next season, and that has put some serious heat on the Lakers.
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