Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James remains one of the best players in the league as despite turning 40 in his 22nd season, he was named to Second Team All-NBA.
As great as he still is though, it’s natural for LeBron to contemplate his future and how much longer he wants to continue playing. James was noncommittal about returning for a 23rd season and eighth in L.A. after the Lakers were eliminated from the postseason, wanting to take time to talk it over with him family before making any decisions.
LeBron has a player option for the 2025-26 season worth $52.6 million that he has to make a decision on by June 29. If he picks that up then he will be under contract for another season with the Lakers. If he declines it though, he will become an unrestricted free agent where he can negotiate a new deal with L.A. or other teams. While retirement has been considered in past years, it never seemed like a possibility this summer.
The expectation all along though has been for James to return to the Lakers, and according to Shams Charania of ESPN, that will be the case as he is picking up that player option:
Breaking: Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James is opting into his $52.6 million player option for the 2025-26 season, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul told ESPN.
Paul adds: LeBron "knows the Lakers are building for the future … but he values a realistic chance of winning it all." pic.twitter.com/q5mT1O2R35
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 29, 2025
With James picking up his player option, he will not be taking a discount to help the Lakers build out their roster, which was reported to be the case early in the offseason.
Regardless though, the most important domino of the Lakers’ offseason has now fallen with LeBron expected back in purple and gold. His eighth season with the team will mark his longest tenure with an organization, surpassing his first seven-season stint in Cleveland.
Now, the focus could shift to building a roster that fits James and Luka Doncic as L.A. looks to get back into championship contention.
And for James, he is working on getting healthy before training camp after suffering a sprained MCL in the team’s final postseason game.
Ron Pelinka: Lakers want to meet LeBron James’ expectations for roster
Rob Pelinka has made it clear in his 2024-25 end-of-the-year press conference that the Lakers want to put together a roster to LeBron James’ liking, so they were clearly under the impression that he will be back for at least one more season.
James is already the NBA’s all-time leading scorer and has every accolade there is so at this stage of his career though, he is only in the business of competing for championships. That means the pressure is on Pelinka to improve the roster and make that happen, although he has limited resources to work with.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!
