LeBron: 4 Possible Paths in his Historic Season 23 with Lakers

LeBron James: Is the King on the Countdown or with More Extra Time?

In the Lakers’ locker room, LeBron James’ presence, an hour before the start of the preseason game, was limited to his gold uniform with the number 23 and a triangular cushion on his seat. The jersey would not be needed that night, but the cushion would. Of the 42 players in the Lakers and Suns training camp rosters, 22 were born in the 2000s and 19 in the 1990s. James, for his part, was born in 1984, five months before Suns coach Jordan Ott. James, 40, did not play in the exhibition game due to a gluteal nerve irritation, according to Lakers coach JJ Redick. The cushion, however, had a full night, serving in the locker room and during the game on the bench. When James finally appeared in the locker room, with a t-shirt displaying the slogan “Forever King” from his latest Nike advertising campaign, a reporter asked him if he was ready to start his unprecedented 23rd season. Before James could answer, Lakers guard Austin Reaves chimed in.

“You still have five seasons left,” Reaves said.

Austin Reaves

James’s eyes opened, and a smile spread across his face. “Why not six or seven, and get to 30?” the reporter continued. “Yes, set a record!” added Reaves. James turned to Reaves and smiled: “I already set a record.” Of the approximately 5,000 players who have played in the NBA, James is the only one who has remained for 23 seasons. In addition, he has scored more points in the regular season (42,184) and postseason (8,289) than anyone in league history, has participated in more All-Star Games (21) and was part of the first active father-son duo to share the court when he and Bronny James played together against the Minnesota Timberwolves on opening night last season. James’s accomplishments, including four MVP awards, four championships, and four Finals MVP awards, are well documented. But if Los Angeles represents the fourth quarter of James’s career, after spending the first three in Cleveland, Miami, and back in Cleveland, the question now is whether time is running out or if he will take this to overtime. James is playing in his eighth season with the Lakers, the longest period he has been with any of the franchises he has played for, and he is doing so with a contract that expires for the first time after exercising his $52.6 million option for the 2025-26 season in June without negotiating an extension. During the Lakers’ annual Media Day last week, the first question James answered was about his retirement.

“I don’t know,” said James, who earned second-team All-NBA honors in his 22nd season. “I’m excited about the opportunity to play the game I love for another season. And however the journey unfolds this year, I’m very involved. Because, as you said, I don’t know when the end is, but I know it’s much sooner rather than later.”

LeBron James

The Lakers, who will not have James for the next three or four weeks while he recovers from sciatica on his right side, are coming off a season in which they signed 26-year-old superstar Luka Doncic and secured third place in the competitive Western Conference, but fell to the sixth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves in five games. After James opted into his contract to stay in Los Angeles, his agent, Rich Paul, CEO of Klutch Sports, issued a statement that many interpreted as a signal that James might end his career elsewhere. “LeBron wants to compete for a championship,” Paul said. “He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance to win it all… We understand the difficulty of winning now while preparing for the future. We want to evaluate what’s best for LeBron at this stage of his life and career.” And after having total control over his career for his first 22 years, what is best and what is realistic could prove contradictory.

Here are the four possible ways this unprecedented season could unfold for James and the Lakers.

Play the 2025-26 season and retire afterwards as a LakerJames’ time with the Lakers has been marked by a series of injuries that caused him to miss 124 games in seven seasons, after having missed only 71 in his first 15 years in the league. The Lakers’ management has had four head coaches and the front office has had a mixed record in its trades and signings. Even so, there has been a lot of success. The Lakers won a championship in 2020, with James becoming the first player in history to take home the Finals MVP for three different teams. The franchise celebrated James in a big way when he surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer in 2023. And in 2024, the Lakers used the number 55 pick to draft Bronny, allowing James to achieve what he had stated as his last remaining priority when he told ESPN, “I need to be on the court with my son.” A few months before the 2024 draft, the Golden State Warriors inquired about the possibility of trading for James. The Lakers, through Paul, told Golden State they were not interested. After the trade talks passed, James expressed his commitment to the franchise. “I am a Laker, and I am happy and [have] been very happy being a Laker for the last six years and I hope it continues to be that way,” James said. The Lakers’ president of basketball operations and general manager, Rob Pelinka, speaking at his annual season-opening press conference a few days before Media Day, made it clear where the franchise stands.

“We would love for LeBron’s story to be that he retired as a Laker,” Pelinka said. “That would be a positive story.”

Rob Pelinka

While several sources close to James have said that it is not known how the end of his career will develop, it could help James’s desire to play on the best possible Lakers team this season if he seems to have more basketball in him. The Lakers can trade their 2031 or 2032 first-round pick this season and are eligible to swap firsts in five seasons in any deal they pursue this season, but they might be reluctant to use those assets to invest in a team built for Doncic and James, if James is on his way out.

For those looking for clues, there are some.

Nike’s “Forever King” ad features a narrator who speaks about James’ career in the past tense: “They called him the Chosen One… We were all witnesses.” The “Classic Edition” uniform of the Cleveland Cavaliers for this season is the same style that James wore when he entered the league as a rookie with the Cavs in 2003-04. NBA programmers made the first home game of the season and the last away game of the Los Angeles season against Stephen Curry and the Warriors, a fitting way for the two most important players of their era to have a proper farewell, if James is really on his last lap. And after Media Day, on his Instagram account, James posted a compilation of moments from the day with “It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over” by Lenny Kravitz playing in the background, possibly hinting at the end.Play the 2025-26 season and renew with the Lakers with a new contractPelinka’s response at the press conference regarding James’ retirement with the Lakers was revealing because he answered a different question than the one asked. He was asked if the Lakers would be interested in re-signing James in the summer of 2026. It is projected that Los Angeles will have approximately $50 million in cap space, which would be absorbed by James if he sought a new maximum contract. James will be eligible to sign a contract of up to three years for $188 million, with a starting salary of $58.1 million for 2026-27, according to ESPN NBA front office insider Bobby Marks. As great as James has been, extending his prime far beyond any reasonable actuarial table, there’s a natural question about how his timeline syncs up with the team’s other two best players, both in their mid-20s. Doncic and Reaves, for their part, love playing with James and want the partnership to continue, sources told ESPN. Both players haven’t asked James when he plans to retire, sources said, wanting to show respect for James’ process. A Doncic, who idolized James as a child, has liked their partnership and believes James is vital to Los Angeles’ ability to win now, sources said. He is also not intimidated by any spectacle or circus that might come with partnering with James as he nears the end of his career because Doncic already experienced an aging legend on his farewell tour when Dirk Nowitzki’s last season with the Dallas Mavericks coincided with Doncic’s first year. Doncic found the time with Nowitzki invaluable, sources said. Also, if the Lakers win the championship this season, which would bring James’ career total to five, would he see it as a perfect ending, or would he want to come back to try to defend it and tie Michael Jordan with six?Start the 2025-26 season with the Lakers and request a trade or buyout in January or FebruaryPaul’s statement to ESPN in June established James’ ultimate priority as the curtain falls on his career: to win. That means that if Los Angeles is struggling, whether due to injuries, poor roster adjustments, or simply because the team isn’t good enough to thrive in the crowded West, James could choose to leave. Since James has a no-trade clause in his contract, any agreement would need James’s approval to be executed. The problem is that there aren’t many viable destinations for him. Cleveland, which would represent a second and perhaps final homecoming, would need to send nearly $90 million in salaries for a trade to work, according to Marks, and the deal would have to involve multiple teams because the Cavs are not allowed to be above the second apron in a James trade. Due to their apron limitations, the Cavs would also be prevented from signing James off the waiver list if he reached a buyout agreement with Los Angeles. The Warriors and the New York Knicks would also be ineligible to sign James in that scenario. Then there are the Mavericks. James has won titles with Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving, and has a close relationship with coach Jason Kidd and several members of Kidd’s staff. But the Mavs would also need to send an exorbitant amount of money for a deal to work, according to Marks. Dallas is also currently a second apron team and would need to move $12 million in salary without receiving any in return to become a termination destination for James.Play the 2025-26 season with the Lakers and sign elsewhere as a free agentThere are 10 teams projected to have significant cap space in the summer of 2026, including the Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Clippers, and Chicago Bulls, and there could be options for James that are currently unforeseen. However, it would be a major life change to leave Southern California when Savannah (his wife) and Zhuri (his daughter) live there, Bronny is under contract with the Lakers, and Bryce (his son) is a short flight from the University of Arizona. And James will be in a group of free agents that potentially includes other stars like Kevin Durant, Trae Young and James Harden, as well as impact players like Reaves, Draymond Green, Bradley Beal, Norman Powell and Coby White, so it is not guaranteed that he will receive endless interest throughout the league. And so, James’ situation remains undecided, and it has not yet been determined whether his 23rd season will be a countdown to the end of his career or simply the bridge to a 24th, or beyond. Or if his body will make the decision for him. “Everyone is trying to dictate when it’s over and the reality is that no one really knows,” a source close to James told ESPN. James, for his part, says he is not worried about the future for now. “I’m not worried about yesterday and I don’t try to focus on what the future holds,” he told ESPN. “It’s about staying present… Because, as I said, I don’t know when the end is, but I know it’s not as far away as ‘The Godfather 2.’ So I know I have to stay present.”