LeBron James may have just opted into his player option for the 2025-26 season, but he also may have put pressure on the Los Angeles Lakers’ front office to improve the roster this summer.
James issued a statement alongside his agent Rich Paul that he understands the Lakers are building for the future but that he still wants to compete for titles at this stage of his career. While it wasn’t a hard trade request, James and Paul clearly want to see Los Angeles improve the roster to give him at least one more chance to win a title.
It sounds like James would prefer to stay with the Lakers and compete for a title in L.A., but the franchise may have to finally consider what life without the King would be like. The Lakers have been operating with Luka Doncic in mind and there’s no reason to believe that James’ statement would alter their thinking.
By opting into his player option for next season, James guaranteed he’d be playing one more season. However, he was recently heard on video saying his wife Savannah wants him to retire within the next year or so, via SportsCenter:
While it’s hard to tell in the video, Shams Charania of ESPN seemingly confirmed that is what James said:
It remains to be seen whether James will reach season No. 24 or beyond. James went out to dinner in New York this past week with his wife, Savannah, Miami Heat big man Kevin Love and his wife, Kate, and other confidants, and one of the dinner guests posted a snippet of the night to Instagram where James can be heard saying, “[Savannah] wants me to f—ing retire in the next year or so.”
LeBron has acknowledged that the decision to retire is something he talks to his family about and that snippet of audio suggests his playing days could be over quite soon. Savannah and the rest of the James family likely talked through LeBron playing next season, but given how long he’s been at it, it makes sense why his wife would like to see him retire in the near future.
There’s no denying that LeBron has enough left in the tank to play multiple seasons, but he’s been open about not wanting to play too much longer. The reality seems surreal because of how long he’s been at the top of the game, but Father Time appears to be winning the war with the Lakers star.
James is set to play the 2025-26 season, but it remains to be seen if he’ll be donning purple and gold or not.
No signs Luka Doncic won’t sign extension with Lakers
LeBron James’ decision shouldn’t sway Luka Doncic’s decision to sign an extension with the Lakers this summer. So far, it appears Doncic hasn’t given any signs that he wouldn’t sign an extension to stay with Los Angeles for the foreseeable future.
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