Sunday, June 29, is the deadline for LeBron James to let the Los Angeles Lakers know whether he intends to play on the final year of his contract, which would expire a year from now, or opt out in order to sign a slightly longer new contract. He has a $52.6 million player option for next season.
Many seem to think that if he opts in to the player option, next season will be his last in the NBA. It would be his 23rd campaign in the league, which would set a new record, and he could very well continue to play at a superstar level after making the All-NBA Second Team this season.
But according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, there is “no certainty” that next season will be James’ finale.
“But before his return to the court, he had been training in the weight room with his son, Lakers guard Bronny James, sources told ESPN, their first extended offseason together after last summer’s Paris Olympics,” McMenamin wrote. “And while James has considered retirement every offseason since 2023, a source familiar with James’ thinking told ESPN that at this point, James is not entering next season with any certainty that it will be his last.”
James, 40, averaged 24.4 points, 8.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds a game this season and continued to shoot well from both the field and from beyond the 3-point line. He has apparently recovered from a MCL sprain he reportedly suffered in the Lakers’ final playoff game and was seen back on the court last weekend.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Report: No certainty 2025-26 season will be LeBron James’ last in NBA
Reporting by Robert Marvi, LeBron Wire / LeBron Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
