Warriors have signed former Mavericks guard Brandon Williams to a one-year $2.6 million contract.

The Warriors continue to add more depth after drafting Michigan forward Yaxel Lendomborg. After failing to sign big names like LeBron James in the offseason, the Warriors are finding themselves in the middle between a rebuild and keeping their core for another season.

According to Spotrac, the Warriors had $249.4 million allocated toward the 2026-27 salary cap before signing Williams. This will now put them at about $252 million. They are now about $2.6 million below the second apron threshold.

Williams is now entering his fifth NBA season. Before landing with the Mavericks, he played with the Portland Trail Blazers and spent time in the NBA G League. 

In Dec. 2023, Williams signed a two-way deal with the Mavericks. He has played 116 games over three seasons. Last season, Williams had a breakout year, playing in 66 games with the team.

Despite finishing with a 26-56 record last season, one of the few bright spots besides Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg was Williams. He averaged 13 points, 3.9 assists, and 2.9 rebounds over 22.2 minutes per game.

Earlier in August, NBA insider Marc Stein reported that the Warriors were interested in Williams and forward Georges Niang for their remaining open roster spots. Now that the Warriors have acquired a player they have been eyeing, they hope to build on last season and aim for a playoff spot this season.

LeBron James‘s decision to leave Los Angeles for Philadelphia settles one lingering NBA offseason question while opening another: what happens now to his son, Bronny James, who remains under contract with the Lakers even as his father heads elsewhere.

The younger James enters his second pro season with a $2.48 million team option for 2026-27 still on the books in Los Angeles. With his father no longer part of the roster, speculation initially centered on whether the Lakers might look to move on from Bronny entirely or whether a reunion in Philadelphia made sense.

Neither scenario appears especially likely. The 76ers already have a crowded backcourt and little incentive to pursue a trade, while the Lakers, for their part, would want real value in any deal rather than simply cutting Bronny loose — making a straightforward retention on his existing, cost-controlled deal the more probable outcome.

Complicating any hypothetical move to Philadelphia is a wrinkle involving one of LeBron’s new teammates. Jaylen Brown, whom the 76ers acquired earlier this summer in a blockbuster trade, drew attention in 2024 for dismissive comments about Bronny’s NBA readiness, telling WNBA star Angel Reese during Bronny’s Summer League debut that he didn’t think the younger James “is a pro.”

LeBron referenced the remark publicly himself in February, saying his relationship with Brown had otherwise been “pretty respectful, besides the [expletive] he said about Bronny at summer league.”

Despite that history, Brown reacted warmly to the news of LeBron’s signing, posting his now-familiar “throw the ball up” catchphrase on social media once the move became official — a sign, at least publicly, that any tension has cooled.

For now, the more mundane outcome looks likeliest: Bronny stays with the Lakers on his existing option, continuing to develop apart from his father for the first time in his young career, while LeBron begins a new chapter in Philadelphia alongside Brown, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. Whether the awkward history between Brown and Bronny ever becomes relevant again may simply depend on whether the father-son reunion scenario resurfaces down the road.

LeBron James is heading to the Philadelphia 76ers for his 24th NBA season, agreeing to a two-year, $8 million deal that represents a stunning financial step down from the roughly $53 million he earned last year with the Lakers.

The 41-year-old announced the move himself on X, framing it less as a business transaction than a personal reckoning.

“I still truly love this game, and I have more to give,” James wrote, adding that the weeks leading up to his decision gave him rare space to reflect. “I’ve never been able to have no clue what to do and take real time to just think.”

His new contract starts just under $3.9 million this season, close to a veteran’s minimum salary, with a player option attached for year two.

The exit from Los Angeles wasn’t entirely James’s call. The Lakers had signaled they were ready to build their future around Luka Dončić rather than continue centering the roster on their longtime star, according to reporting on the situation.

James’s longtime agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, described the move to Philadelphia as free of the pressure that shaped James’s earlier career choices. “This is the first time that LeBron James is making a decision pressure-free,” Paul said. “He’s won already. He’s made good on his promise — he won in L.A. This is strictly for his happiness.”

Philadelphia’s pitch got help from inside the locker room. Star guard Tyrese Maxey, also a Klutch client who has called James a “big brother,” reportedly took a lead role in recruiting him personally, alongside center Joel Embiid and newly acquired forward Jaylen Brown. Maxey greeted the news with an exuberant round of Instagram stories, while Brown marked the occasion on X with a simple “#throwtheballup.”

James’s arrival caps a remarkable offseason build for the 76ers, who landed Brown in a blockbuster trade with Boston before adding James on top of it — giving Philadelphia two former Finals MVPs in the span of a single summer alongside Embiid and Maxey. Whether the aging superstar has enough left to meaningfully lift a team already reshaping itself around a new core remains an open question, but for a player who has spent parts of two decades chasing championships in Miami, Cleveland and Los Angeles, the move reads as much like a victory lap as a basketball decision.

LeBron James is a free agent for the first time since 2018, and six teams are jockeying to land him as he weighs whether to finish his 24th NBA season somewhere other than Los Angeles.

James told the Lakers last month he plans to play elsewhere next season, ending an eight-year run that included the 2020 championship, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul confirmed to ESPN. Lakers governor Jeanie Buss thanked James in a statement for the title and the franchise records he set in purple and gold, and James posted on X that he hoped he’d “made a few proud” during his time there.

The 41-year-old, who turns 42 in December, averaged 20.9 points, 7.2 assists and 6.1 rebounds last season on 51.5% shooting, and a source told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin he wants to keep playing “meaningful, competitive basketball.” Paul has spoken with 27 teams on his behalf.

Financially, James won’t command a big payday given where most contenders sit against the salary cap.

Here’s what each finalist can actually offer: the Miami Heat, pairing him with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo, have the most breathing room and could offer up to $7 million; the Cleveland Cavaliers could offer more than the veterans minimum if they trade away a rotation piece; and the Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves and Philadelphia 76ers are largely limited to the $3.9 million veterans exception.

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported that James’s recent trip down memory lane with his 2016 championship-winning Cavaliers teammates, plus extra time spent in Akron this summer, has fueled a growing sense around the league that he’s leaning toward a homecoming in Cleveland, where he’d slot in alongside Donovan Mitchell, James Harden and a talented young frontcourt.

Still, Golden State, Denver, Minnesota and Philadelphia all believe they have a real case. Warriors star Stephen Curry made his own pitch publicly this week, telling reporters James could help “raise our floor” and pointing out the appeal of playing alongside a proven champion — plus, he joked, decent Bay Area golf.

LeBron James is on the move, and the Philadelphia 76ers have emerged as a serious contender in free agency.

The Philadelphia 76ers have quickly become one of the most talked-about teams in the NBA after reports surfaced that they are aggressively pursuing four-time NBA champion LeBron James in free agency.

LeBron James informed the Los Angeles Lakers he will not return next season, making him the biggest name on the market. Teams such as the Golden State Warriors, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Miami Heat remain in the mix, but the 76ers have emerged as a legitimate contender for James.

​James’s interest in Philadelphia likely increased after the Sixers acquired Jaylen Brown, who would be an ideal running mate. The team also signed Anfernee Simons, a veteran guard expected to come off the bench.
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Adding James would provide veteran experience and leadership. Health remains a question for Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey—also represented by Klutch Sports, the agency founded by James’s longtime business partner Rich Paul—could help recruit LeBron to Philadelphia.

At 41, LeBron wouldn’t need to carry the offense every night—he could focus on defending, facilitating and using his elite basketball IQ. For now, LeBron remains a free agent, but with the 76ers reportedly making a strong pitch, Philadelphia is one of the most closely watched teams in the race.

LeBron James, 41, remains the biggest topic of any NBA offseason storyline.

Questions are swirling around his future contract situation with the Los Angeles Lakers. What he decides in the coming months continues to dominate conversation on shows like First Take and across the basketball world.

​After completing another strong season—his 23rd NBA campaign—James now faces a major decision in the next stage of his career.

Of course, everyone knows James: a four-time NBA champion, the league’s highest-paid player, and the face of basketball for a generation.

​Some continue to speculate whether James could pursue a shorter contract or accept a pay cut with the Lakers, allowing them to improve the roster on a one-year deal before he retires.

James has several options: He could retire, return to the Cleveland Cavaliers to help their young squad—the Cavs are currently in the Eastern Conference finals—or return to the Lakers on a pay cut to help build around young star Luka Dončić.

​The salary discussion comes at a crucial time, following the Lakers’ second-round sweep by the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Los Angeles is expected to be aggressive and pursue roster upgrades around Dončić. The Lakers need to make a significant move to compete with the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs for years to come—whether that means trading Austin Reaves for a star like Giannis Antetokounmpo, or making another bold move. The Lakers need a spark to return to championship contention.

Former Miami Heat forward Michael Beasley added his perspective on the alleged cookie incident between former Heat star LeBron James and Heat owner Pat Riley. 

It’s been rumored that in the 2013-14 season, Riley took away James’ privilege of eating cookies and ice cream on the team plane. This was done without warning.

Beasley was a guest on the Club Shay Shay podcast hosted by Shannon Sharpe. He revealed details of the story, like how James’ personal chef made those cookies, not the team chefs. He noted what it was like when James was confronted about having the cookies.

“Bruh, that boy stood up. LeBron stood up like Thanos,” Beasley said.  “Where I play cards at, I can see where they bring the cookies from. I can see them scrambling. And LeBron stood up and yelled as far as the back. Everybody heard him. ‘Yo, if anybody do….’ That’s the first time I seen an organization get scared. From that point on, they tiptoed around.”

This story is rumored to be a big reason why James left the Heat after the 2013-14 season. Despite making the NBA finals, he left to rejoin the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Dwyane Wade was asked about this incident on the Underground Lounge podcast hosted by Lou Williams. He believed that the cookie incident was a big reason for James’s leaving.

“And I know this seems small, but when we get on that plane, all the little things matter. You got the s— that gets you through. When I get on this plane, I expect what I want because this is what gets me through,” Wade said. “I got to have my comforts along the way or I ain’t going to be me. Riley took all them comforts away.”

After sitting out on Feb. 10, LeBron James will be ineligible to make an All-NBA team, ending his 21-season streak of making an All-NBA team.

Before the 2023-24 season, the NBA added a new rule that disqualified players from winning major awards if they didn’t play at least 65 games. This rule was created to discourage player load management and excessive player rest. Between missing the start of the season with an injury and rest days, James has already missed 18 games this season.

James is averaging 22 points, six rebounds, and seven assists this season. His scoring average is his lowest since his rookie season. Despite this, he was named an All-Star reserve. 

James first made the All-NBA team in 2004-05, where he averaged 27 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. 20 seasons later, he averaged 24 points, eight rebounds and eight assists to make the All-NBA team at age 40. 

In between that streak, he’s won four MVPs, four Finals MVPs and got MVP votes in 19 seasons. 

James has not committed to play after this season, but has also not announced any plans to retire. He’s in the second year of a two-year contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. James is currently the longest-tenured player to ever play in the NBA. 

James is currently dealing with a foot injury. Despite this, he has not been replaced on the All-Star roster. He’s expected to represent Team USA-B in the 2026 NBA All-Star game. Team USA-B has already made a roster replacement, with Stephen Curry being replaced by Brandon Ingram.  

After the All-Star break, the Lakers will look to focus on securing a playoff spot. They currently hold the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference with a 32-21 record. The Phoenix Suns are just a half-game back of them at the No. 7 seed. 

LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers was brought to tears during a tribute by the Cleveland Cavaliers during their January 28 game. 

James played two stints with the Cavaliers, one from 2003 to 2010 and another from 2014 to 2018. In 2016, he helped the team win its first championship in franchise history. The Cavaliers’ tribute highlighted his 2007 Eastern Conference Finals performance and the 2016 championship. 

The game itself was much less ceremonious. The Cavaliers defeated the Lakers 129-99. The Cavaliers had a strong game from All-Star starter Donovan Mitchell and Jaylon Tyson. The Lakers were led by Luka Doncic with some help from Gabe Vincent. James was held to just 11 points on 30 percent shooting. 

This game was also the first time James’ mother saw both him and her grandson, Bronny James, play in an NBA game in person. Bronny scored eight points in his eight minutes of play. 

The topic of discussion in the postgame wasn’t the game itself, but rather James’ future. James is currently the oldest player ever to play in the NBA. James is currently still averaging 22 points per game. However, this is the second-lowest mark of his career, only behind his rookie season. 

James has been very noncommittal about his future and possible retirement this season. James is in the second year of a two-year, $101 million contract. He accepted the player’s option for this season during the offseason. He will be a free agent at season’s end. 

“But the drive is how much, like, juice I can squeeze out of this orange,” James said, “I’m in a battle with Father Time, and I’m taking it personal, and I am going to see how many more times I [can] be victorious over him.”

The Golden State Warriors have not had the year they had hoped for, with star forward Jimmy Butler tearing his ACL and struggling to find consistency. But it seems as if the Warriors are going for a major splash in the offseason or perhaps two.

According to reports, the Warriors will pursue 21-time All-Star LeBron James after his contract with the Los Angeles Lakers expires at the end of the season. James has been rumored to the Warriors many times, but nothing has actually come to fruition, as James and the Lakers aren’t on the best of terms. This opens up the possibility of James going elsewhere.

The Warriors are determined to maximize their title chances while they still have Superstar Stephen Curry, and that includes monitoring Giannis Antetokounmpo and his status with the Milwaukee Bucks. A trade for Antetokounmpo is unlikely this season, but the off-season gives the Warriors the flexibility to offload contracts like Butler and Draymond Green if they are truly interested in bringing in James and Antetokounmpo.

With the trade deadline on February 5, the Warriors may just hold onto all their assets in the hope that Antetokounmpo becomes available after the season.

If the Warriors were to pull off these crazy moves, a trio of Curry, James and Antetokounmpo would almost certainly go down as the most talented big three of all-time. Between the three, they have eight MVP awards and nine NBA Championships.

James and Curry played together during the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. Together, they put on a show as they led Team USA to a Gold Medal in a thrilling game against the hometown French Men’s National Team. James has talked many times about how much he would love to play with Curry. The two were the biggest of rivals in the 2010s, but as both have gotten older, they seem to have built a strong relationship and respect for each other.

A lot of factors will have to go right if the Warriors want to pull off these moves, including James deciding to play another year.

With the game tied and seconds winding down, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James‘ streak of 1,297 consecutive games of double-digit points hanged in the balance.

The veteran forward tallied eight points against the Toronto Raptors, but had a chance to win the game – and keep his streak alive – in the final seconds as the Lakers held the final possession.

But like many times in his career, James made the right play at the right time.

Sacrificing his streak, he dished the ball wide to set up Rui Hachimura‘s 3-point buzzer beater to defeat the Raptors on Thursday night, 123-120.

James didn’t seem bothered when asked about his feelings after his run ended, which began in early 2007.

“None. We won,” he said.

“Just playing the game the right way. You always make the right play. That’s just been my M.O. That’s how I was taught the game. I’ve done that my whole career.”

The Lakers led by as many as 13 points. They held a nine-point advantage going into halftime, but the Raptors made adjustments and clawed their way back into the contest.

Austin Reaves led the Lakers with 44 points, half of those coming in the third quarter. Each team traded leads in the second half which ultimately came down to the final play of the match.

With James having space through the center, he could have gone for the game-winning jump shot from midrange. But he picked out an open Hachimura in the corner, who drilled a 3-pointer with no time remaining.

“Once they doubled AR [Reaves] and the ball got swung to me, I know it’s a numbers game,” James said. “We got a four-on-three advantage and were just trying to put the ball on time, on target, in Rui’s socket, in his shot pocket, and he knocked it down.”

The win was the Lakers’ eighth in their last nine games as they remain in the top three of the Western Conference.

James and point guard Luka Doncic missed the following game against the Boston Celtics, where the team lost 126-105 the next day.

The Lakers conclude their three-game away trip against the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday night. On Wednesday, JJ Redick‘s side faces the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Cup quarterfinals.

Former Cleveland Cavaliers player and assistant coach Damon Jones was arrested as part of a large-scale FBI investigation on Thursday regarding illegal sports betting and fixed poker games, where the 49-year-old is accused of sharing private injury information to bettors, FBI officials said.

A source told ESPN that the player in question was LeBron James, according to a report published on Thursday. However, James was not accused of any wrongdoing in the indictment.

The FBI investigation is on two cases: an illegal sports betting scheme and one involving Mafia-backed fixed poker games, officials said. Over 30 people were arrested across 11 states, which included prominent NBA figures like Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, FBI director Kash Patel said.

During the 2022/23 season, Jones spent time with the Los Angeles Lakers as an unpaid member, which included helping James in pregame preparations and preseason workouts. The source said the four-time NBA champion was not aware of Jones’ alleged gambling activities.

After James surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar‘s NBA all-time points record on February 7, 2023, the Lakers star missed his next match against the Milwaukee Bucks due to ankle soreness. The indictment says Jones is alleged to have texted a co-conspirator, encouraging the person to “get a big bet” on the Bucks. The game ended in a 115-106 Lakers loss.

The indictment also says Jones is alleged to have shared private information with a co-conspirator on January 15, 2024, when the Lakers defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka revealed team updates on Thursday, including a contract extension for head coach JJ Redick and a comment on LeBron James‘ future.

The GM announced the team will keep the 41-year-old head coach on the sidelines for the long term. Redick, who signed a four-year deal with the Lakers in June 2024, has reportedly signed a multiyear extension.

“We think he’s a special coach with a special voice that’s really helping us define the culture of Lakers excellence,” Pelinka said. “We just wanted to make a clear statement that this is what we believe in, what we’re going to lean into and what our players are going to mold into as we continue to develop the identity. I think having long-term planning is helpful as we build this team and go forward.”

In his first season as a head coach, Redick helped the Lakers finish third in the Western Conference with a 50-32 record. It was the team’s highest conference position since its championship-winning season in 2019-20.

“I think it starts with a high level of gratitude – to the Lakers, to Mark [Walter], Jeanie [Buss] and Rob [Pelinka] for having that confidence in me,” Redick said on the extension. “It’s not lost on me, this sort of rarity of a first-time head coach getting an extension. I recognize how fortunate I am to be in an organization that supports me in that way.”

But now the attention shifts to 40-year-old star forward LeBron James, who used his one-year player option in June. James is set to enter his 23rd season in the NBA: a record in the league.

Pelinka said the ball is in the four-time NBA champion’s court regarding his future, but hints that he would love for him to retire in Los Angeles.

“Just give him absolute respect to choose his story with his family in terms of how many years he’s going to continue to play,” Pelinka said on James’ future. “He’s earned that right, and he’s the best one to talk about in terms of how many years he’d like to play.

“We would love if LeBron’s story would be to retire as a Laker. That’d be a positive story.”

The Lakers’ media day will be held on Monday, with training camp beginning the following day. The team will open its 2025-26 campaign on Oct. 21 against the Golden State Warriors.

LeBron James was left speechless and “crushed” after learning about Kyrie Irving‘s transfer from the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Boston Celtics in 2017, former head coach Tyronn Lue revealed recently.

During a podcast with Shannon Sharpe, Lue recalled what happened with Irving following the Cavaliers’ 2017 NBA Finals loss to the Golden State Warriors. Lue said he “begged and pleaded” with Irving to stay with the team, but said it was the nine-time NBA All-Star who made up his mind on leaving Cleveland.

However, it was James’ reaction while signing jerseys for an event that stuck with the former Cavaliers boss.

“I come sit next to Bron,” Lue said. “We sitting there, hand him the phone, SportsCenter: Kyrie Irving has just been traded to the Boston Celtics. Bron dropped the marker and just laid back in his chair for about 10 minutes and doesn’t say a word. Just pissed off. Bron was crushed.”

Lue coached the Cavs for two and a half seasons, winning an NBA Championship during the 2015/16 campaign. James and Irving were teammates during that time, but that ended in the summer of 2017 when the team traded the former Duke point guard to the Celtics.

Lue also said James would have stayed in Cleveland had Irving continued to play for the Cavaliers.

Irving joined the Cavs in 2011 after being drafted as the first overall pick. He spent six seasons in Cleveland, linking with James in 2014 and winning the championship two years later against the Warriors. The Cavs became the first team in NBA Finals history to win after trailing 3-1, winning a dramatic Game 7, which saw Irving and James both make huge plays late in the match.

One year after Irving departed, James also packed his bags and joined the Los Angeles Lakers, where he’s been ever since. James added another ring while with the Purple and Gold, winning the 2020 NBA Finals against his former team, the Miami Heat.

Luka Doncic signed a three-year, $165 million contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday. When the contract was signed and the ink was still drying, Doncic got a call from the face of the franchise for the past seven seasons: LeBron James.

James congratulated Doncic on the deal with a video call, sources familiar with the exchange confirmed to ESPN, after the contract was signed and before Doncic participated in a news conference at the Lakers’ practice facility Saturday.

James was not among the half-dozen teammates to attend the news conference or the group trip from Los Angeles to Las Vegas on Saturday night to attend the Backstreet Boys concert at The Sphere. But the call continued the support James has shown for Doncic since the Lakers shocked the basketball world by trading for the 26-year-old superstar in February.

“Luka has been my favorite player in the NBA for a while now,” James said on February 4 in his first public comments after his longtime teammate, Anthony Davis, was traded to Dallas to acquire Doncic.

The Lakers went 16-7 in the games James and Doncic played together down the stretch in the regular season.

When asked about Doncic’s impending contract decision following the Lakers’ first-round loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, James told ESPN he wanted Doncic to stick around – but he would not attempt to sway his decision.

“I hope, obviously, [he stays long term],” James told ESPN on April 30. “Laker fans f—ing love him here. L.A. has accepted him. We love him as a teammate, as a brother. But ultimately, he’s got to make a decision for him. S—, I ain’t going to be around much longer.”

Though James’ sentiments toward Doncic have been consistent, with sources telling ESPN that both players hold respect and reverence for each other, James’ thoughts about the Lakers are not as clear-cut.

James opted into the final year of his contract worth $52.6 million in June, setting up his record-setting 23rd season in the league in 2025-26 with the Lakers.

But when James opted in, his agent and Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul issued a statement to ESPN’s Shams Charania that opened the door for speculation about how the final chapter of the four-time champion’s career would play out.

“LeBron wants to compete for a championship,” Paul told ESPN on June 29. “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.

“We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future. We do want to evaluate what’s best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what’s best for him.”

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is exercising his $52.6 million player option for the 2025-26 season, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul told ESPN on Sunday.

James, the NBA’s career scoring leader, wants to compete for a championship next season and potentially beyond and will be closely monitoring the Lakers’ moves and whether the team is positioning itself this offseason to field a title-contending roster, Paul said.

“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. We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future. We do want to evaluate what’s best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what’s best for him.”

James, 40, is entering a record-setting 23rd NBA season and has said he remains uncertain about whether he has one campaign left or wants to play multiple more years.

James, who has a no-trade clause in his contract, is 50 games away from breaking Robert Parish’s record for most career regular-season games. Next season he will break a tie with Vince Carter for the most seasons played in NBA history.

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 hard saying, “[Savannah] wants me to f—ing retire in the next year or so.”

In February 2024, after the Golden State Warriors inquired about trading for James before the Lakers, though Paul told them they were not interested. James expressed his desire to continue playing for the purple and gold.

“I am a Laker, and I’m happy and been very happy being a Laker the last six years and hopefully it stays that way,” James said.

A few months later, the Lakers drafted James’ eldest son, Bronny James, with the No. 55 pick to set up the historic father-son tandem, then signed LeBron James to a two-year, $104 million contract extension in July 2024.

James is a four-time NBA champion, four-time Finals MVP and four-time league MVP, and he has made 21 All-Star teams and 21 All-NBA squads; he is also the first 40-year-old to make an All-NBA team. He joined the Lakers in 2018 and led the franchise to the 2020 NBA title and the 2023 Western Conference finals.

He averaged 24.4 points, 8,2 assists and 7.8 rebounds per game this past season, ending his record 20-year streak of averaging at least 25 points per game. He was one of three players to average 25 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists from December 30 to the end of the season, along with Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic.

Everyone in the NBA stratosphere waits on LeBron James‘ decision on whether he will use his player option with the Los Angeles Lakers and return with the team for a sixth season. The all-time leader in points has the chance to play in his 23rd season in the NBA, which would break the record that he shares with Vince Carter.

Uncertainty remains in this subject due to James suffering an MCL injury during the Lakers’ playoff loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs.

“I think [everybody has] been on pins and needles for a while,” Klutch Sports CEO/founder and James’ longtime agent Rich Paul said on The Rich Eisen Show. “I don’t know about that though. I wish I had the answer. I don’t know. It’s early. I don’t have conversations like that. I go into each year like he’s continuing to play. I never even talk about that.”

James will be turning 41 in December and remains a force on the court. He has been keeping up with the younger generation of NBA superstars. His experience and skill make him a scary opponent for NBA teams.

The decision to shock the NBA world and trade for superstar guard Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks midway through last season might be able to keep James in Los Angeles. The Lakers have many decisions to make in the offseason, and those decisions might make the discussion easier for James to stay or to retire.

“I don’t have to answer to that,” James said when retirement was mentioned. “Something I’ll sit down with my family, my wife and my support group and kind of talk through it and see what happens. And just have a conversation with myself on how long I want to continue to play. I don’t know the answer to that right now, to be honest. So we’ll see.”

James finished his 22nd season, averaging 24.4 points, 8.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds per game as the Lakers’ top player. After the loss to the Timberwolves in the first round, James has not offered any details about what he plans to do.

Many believe the Los Angeles Lakers’ game five loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves could be LeBron James‘ last game as an NBA player.

For now, the future Hall-of-Famer is still undecided.

“I don’t know. I don’t have an answer to that,” James said.

James, 40, has a $52.6 million player option to return to the Lakers for the 2025-2026 season. He must opt in by June 26, or he will become a free agent.

The Lakers’ season ended in a largely disappointing fashion. After winning 50 games in the regular season and finishing as the third seed in the Western Conference, the Lakers were gentleman swept by the Timberwolves.

Three of the Lakers’ four losses in the series were by double digits.

“Every season that I did not make it to the Finals or did not win the championship has been a disappointment,” James said. “So it will be an off-season of disappointment and fulfillment.”

James is not the only player on the Lakers with an uncertain future. Luka Doncic will likely be offered a four-year, $229 million contract from the Lakers. Doncic is still “considering his options.”

James finished game five with 22 points, seven rebounds and six assists. He finished 9-21 from the field. He was last on the Lakers in plus/minus with a -14.

“I got a lot to think about myself,” he said. “So I don’t know what the roster will look like. I don’t know where I stand right now.”

Bronny James, son of Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, was drafted to his father’s team with the 55th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft and subsequently signed to a four-year contract. And that’s not where the criticism began, but it’s perhaps where it seemed to become open season.

Bronny spent only one-year playing college basketball, half of which he spent recovering from a cardiac arrest caused by a congenital heart defect. In the 25 games he played for the University of Southern California, he averaged just 4.8 points per game. In other words, the question that emerged from his four-year, fully guaranteed deal with the Lakers was a given – why would L.A. hand out a contract like that, if not for his father’s influence?

Much of Bronny’s early tenure, both in the G-League and NBA, has only made these accusations more virulent. Perhaps most notably, following a Jan. 29 Lakers game where Bronny went scoreless, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith went on live television and lambasted him.

“I am pleading with LeBron James as a father: Stop this. We all know that Bronny James is in the NBA because of his dad.”

In the midst of such criticism, though, Bronny has quietly but significantly gained consistency and confidence. After putting up six, four and 16 points on 29% shooting in his first three games with the G-League South Bay Lakers, Bronny has posted 30 points twice and 20 points three times in the ten games since. In the NBA, while he’s still averaging about 1.7 points per game, the team sees improvement as well.

So what’s enabling Bronny to average over 20 points per game in the G-League, which he never did in high school or college?

“I just think it’s a confidence thing,” he said.

Lakers head coach J.J. Redick praised Bronny’s growth as a playmaker, adding that he “has been fantastic in practices” lately. That confidence, both internal and external, enabled Redick to play Bronny for 16 minutes against the Denver Nuggets on March 14, where he made a three-pointer and had a steal.

“It’s great that [Redick] had the level of trust to throw him into a big game the other night at Denver, which is a tough place to play, and he got in the game, made a couple defensive plays, made a corner 3, and I think that’s what he prides himself in is the 3-and-D type of archetype,” said general manager Rob Pelinka. “And for him to be doing it in moments in NBA games, that’s great that he’s even grasped that already.

Bronny credits newfound freedom and “getting reps” with his building confidence, but also mentioned media criticism as a source of motivation.

“My first thought about everything is I always try to just let it go through one ear and out the other, put my head down and come to work and be positive every day,” Bronny said. “But sometimes it just, it fuels me a little bit. I see everything that people are saying, and people think, like, I’m a f—ing robot, like I don’t have any feelings or emotions.”

“But I just take that and use it as fuel for me to go out, wake up every day and get to the gym early, get my extra work in, watch my extra film every day, get better every day,” he continued. “That’s what [Pelinka] wants me to do as a young guy, coming in, playing in the G League and learning from far on the bench watching the Lakers play.”

And Bronny has done what the Lakers have asked of him – what it would be reasonable to ask of any young, second-round player at this point in their career. He’s jumped on any chance to improve and learn, and he’s played NBA minutes when the bench has been depleted.

There are no guarantees about Bronny’s future in the NBA, and there’s probably no way he can live up to the media’s warped expectations. What he can do, though, is keep his head down and keep improving. And that’s what he’s done thus far.