LeBron James Reportedly 'Supportive' of Lakers 'Going Toward' Luka Doncic amid Rumors

The Los Angeles Lakers committed to Luka Dončić as the face of the franchise on Sunday when they gave him a three-year, $165 million contract extension.

His co-star LeBron James reportedly is "supportive" of the direction the Lakers are heading toward, but has plenty to think about when it comes to his own future. ESPN's Shams Charania broke down what Dončić's extension could mean for James on Get Up on Monday.

"So, Luka Dončić is the face of this franchise. So, this means that LeBron James, for the first time in his career, he's entering a very interesting ground here," Charania said. "It's a tough line these sides are trying to cross here because we've never seen this, a player in Year 23 is an NBA record. He's about to be 41 years old in December. We've never seen a player play at this level for this long and it's a tough throughline to cross because on one hand, the moment you make this trade for Luka Dončić he's your face of the franchise for the next 10 years. And so, LeBron James is supportive, he's understanding where this Lakers organization is going toward. It's going toward Luka Dončić. So, LeBron James himself has to make some decisions because, 'how long do I have to play?' That's the biggest one of all. Is this the last year of his career or does he have a couple of more years left?"

James, though now a No. 2 to Dončić, is still playing at a very high level, putting up 24.4 points, 8.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds per game last season. If he decides to hang it up after the 2025-26 campaign, it won't be because he's incapable of playing beyond then.

James' future in the NBA could also be with a different organization, since he'll be a free agent after this season. With the Lakers all in on a future surrounding Dončić, James might opt to join a team better suited to win now rather than later.

For now, he'll look to compete for a title alongside Dončić.