If Savannah James had the final call, LeBron James would announce retirement after a majestic 22-year career as one of the greatest players of all time.
James has other plans, however, after picking up his $52.6 million player option with the Los Angeles Lakers to play at least one more season in 2025-26. James announced the move over a weekend during a dinner with friends, including former Cleveland Cavaliers star Kevin Love, which spilled onto Instagram and included a brief soundbite of the conversation where James could be heard saying, “Savannah wants me to f–—– retire in the next year or so.”
James turns 41 in December and was one of the league’s top players last season, averaging 24.4 points, 8.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds. James is reportedly uncertain about the Lakers’ roster moving forward and is keeping an eye on transactions this summer leading up to next season.
Rich Paul, James’ longtime agent, told ESPN his client is “prioritizing roster improvement” and is willing to “work with the Lakers” on a bit of a discount if the franchise is able to acquire an impact player.
“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.”
James touched on retirement several times during last season, and said he was confident he could play at a “high level” for another “five to seven years”, but that’s not part of his future plans. Retiring as a Laker is not a guarantee.
“I think that’s the plan,” James said. “I would love for it to end here. That would be the plan. I came here to play the last stage of my career and to finish it off here. But I’m also not silly or too jaded to know the business of the game as well, to know the business of basketball. But I think my relationship with this organization speaks for itself. And hopefully, I don’t got to go nowhere before my career is over.”
Los Angeles acquired Luka Doncic last season in a blockbuster trade with the Dallas Mavericks, giving up Anthony Davis, a player James called for the franchise acquiring previously in his Lakers tenure.
James has played seven seasons with the Lakers, peaking in 2020 with a championship. James has been an All-NBA selection and All-Star in every campaign, but Los Angeles has suffered opening-round postseason exits in consecutive seasons. Three times over the last four seasons, James has experienced early playoff disappointment.
