LeBron James Still Undecided About NBA Future 1 Week After Lakers' Loss to Wolves
LeBron James still isn't ready to make a decision about his NBA future.
"I haven't had the conversation with the family yet as far as me going forward or whatever the case may be," the 40-year-old said during Thursday's episode of Mind the Game with Steve Nash (35:25 mark). "But we'll see what happens."
While James has played 22 NBA seasons, he suffered a knee injury in the Los Angeles Lakers' first-round loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves and is the oldest player in the league. It would still be a surprise to see him retire after such an early playoff exit and given his contract situation, though.
James has a $52.6 million player option for the 2025-26 campaign. He could pick it up and perhaps finish his career with the Lakers.
It's also not as if he still isn't playing at an effective level. He averaged 24.4 points, 8.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds per game in 2024-25 en route to his NBA-record 21st All-Star nod.
ESPN's Shams Charania reported on The Pat McAfee Show last Thursday that his "understanding" is the King will play for at least another season:
For his part, James was noncommittal in his press conference after the Lakers' loss.
"I don't know," he told reporters. "I don't have an answer to that. Something I'll sit down with my family, my wife and my support group and kind of just 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."
While James has nothing left to prove as a four-time champion, four-time MVP and all-time great, that player option is a lot of money to leave on the table. Returning for another season would also allow him to continue playing alongside his son, Bronny, on the Lakers.
It would also give him a full campaign as teammates with Luka Dončić after the Lakers acquired the star in a February trade. Perhaps getting more experience under their collective belt will put the tandem in a better position to compete for a deeper playoff run next season.
First, James has to make a decision about whether he will return next season.
