Charles Oakley Says LeBron James Will Leave Lakers to Win NBA Title Before Retiring

Former NBA All-Star Charles Oakley has envisioned a scenario in which LeBron James leaves the Los Angeles Lakers. 

Appearing on SiriusXM NBA Radio, Oakley said James "definitely" wants to win another title before he retires, and he "might have to leave L.A. to get it."

James' current contract with the Lakers runs through the 2022-23 season.

Appearing on the Smartless podcast in July (h/t CBS Sports' Jasmyn Wimbish), James said he hopes to finish his career with the Lakers. 

"However many years that is, if it's four, five, six, whatever, seven. I hope I can continue to play the game," he said. "I love being in L.A., my family loves being in L.A. Being with a historical franchise like the Lakers is something."

To Oakley's point, James does have a history of having teams reshape their roster in the way he wants and leaving when it becomes apparent the bottom is about to drop out. 

"The Decision" in 2010 came after the Cleveland Cavaliers were unable to win a title in five consecutive playoff appearances. 

James won back-to-back NBA titles and reached the Finals in each of his four seasons with the Miami Heat, but he left to re-sign with the Cavs as a free agent in July 2014 after losing to the San Antonio Spurs in five games. 

Cleveland underwent constant roster changes during James' second stint from 2014-18. The results paid off with four consecutive Finals appearances, including the franchise's first championship during the 2015-16 season. 

After being swept by the Golden State Warriors in the 2018 NBA Finals, James signed with the Los Angeles Lakers. The pairing of him and Anthony Davis helped the franchise win a title during the 2019-20 season, but the results since then have been trending in the wrong direction. 

Injuries and poor performances pushed the Lakers into the play-in tournament last season. They were able to secure the No. 7 seed before losing in the first round to the Phoenix Suns. 

B/R's Eric Pincus reported James "was a significant proponent" of bringing Russell Westbrook to the Lakers in a trade with the Washington Wizards last offseason.

The experiment thus far has been a disappointment. Westbrook is only averaging 18.9 points per game on 44.5 percent shooting. James and Davis have missed a combined 36 games this season. 

The Lakers are currently the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference with a 24-27 record. They have lost eight of their last 11 games since winning four straight from Dec. 31-Jan. 7.