LeBron James is playing at least one more season in the NBA. The league’s all-time scoring leader will pick up his $52.6 million player option for the 2025-26 season and remain with the Los Angeles Lakers, his agent Rich Paul told ESPN on Sunday.
While most believed that James would pick up his option and return for his 23rd season in the league, there was still some speculation about his future entering the offseason. The Lakers’ surprising trade of Luka Doncic in February, in which they gave up Anthony Davis, signaled that they were building toward the future, causing some to wonder if James would decline his player option and potentially play elsewhere in 2025-26.
Paul acknowledged that the Lakers are building toward the future, but indicated that James is also hoping that Los Angeles will make moves to help it move closer to title contention this offseason.
“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] Jeanie [Buss] and [Lakers 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 will turn 41 in December.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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