Less than a week after the Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated from the NBA playoffs, LeBron James is already attracting attention over when the 40-year-old will decide to retire. A better question, based on a new report from The Athletic, might be “where?”
James, who just capped off his 22nd NBA season, spoke briefly about his future in the league after his early playoff exit following Wednesday night’s Game 5 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. To very little surprise, he said he was going to take some time to figure things out.
Many have assumed that James would want to end his career on the Lakers given that the team drafted his son Bronny last year. James may also be keeping a seat warm for his second son, Bryce, who will begin his collegiate career at Arizona in the fall.
But, there may be a small wrinkle in the Lakers’ hopes to keep James in L.A., as four-time NBA champ is reportedly keeping his options open in his ultimate pursuit of another ring.
Here’s what The Athletic wrote about James’s future with the team:
So, might James think about finishing his career elsewhere in pursuit of a fifth ring? When posed that question, both league sources close to James and team sources would not rule that possibility out. And that was before the revealing elimination game.
The most straightforward path for James to stay (and potentially retire) with the Lakers would be for him to pick up his player option (worth $52.6 million) for the 2025-26 season by the June 29 deadline. Alternatively, he can opt out of his contract and enter free agency this summer.
James hasn’t expressed any major dissatisfactions with the Lakers so far, with the exception of some choice words he said about former teammate Anthony Davis on Wednesday night. Paired with a new in-prime superstar like Luka Doncic, a head coach he trusts in JJ Redick and a GM who’s seemingly ready to cater to his every desire, it’s hard to believe James is truly discontent right now.
