New LeBron James Rumors on Lakers Star's NBA Future Amid Retirement Buzz

There's belief within the NBA that Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James won't retire during the 2026 offseason, according to ESPN's Vincent Goodwill.

"If he were retiring the league would know it because the league would want to celebrate him on the way out, the way that they did with Kareem Adbul-Jabbar and Julius Erving and everybody else that was a great of that ilk," Goodwill reported Thursday on SportsCenter. "And because they haven't done that, the feeling is around the league that LeBron will play at least one more season. He's still playing at a reasonably high level. Sure, the relationship with the Lakers does not seem as great as it once was, but there will be tremendous interest around the league this summer should LeBron decide to play and there is no indication that he will not continue to play"

James still hasn't made an official decision on continuing to play or retiring at the end of the 2025-26 season, telling reporters that he has "no idea" what he plans to do on Sunday.

He's set to hit unrestricted free agency in the summer after picking up a $52.6 million player option for this season in June 2025.

While a return to Los Angeles is possible, the team could decide to fully commit to building a younger roster surrounding Luka Dončić moving forward.

It's also worth noting that ESPN's Baxter Holmes previously revealed that Lakers governor Jeanie Buss has "privately grumbled" about what she felt was James' "outsized ego" as well as the "overt control that he and Klutch Sports" exerted over the organization at times.

Still, the NBA's all-time leading scorer didn't appear to be bothered by the report.

On Thursday, ESPN's Dave McMenamin reported that James would be "welcomed back" to Los Angeles if he decides to continue playing next season.

If the four-time MVP chooses to forgo retirement and depart in free agency, a reunion with the Cleveland Cavaliers is a possibility as well.

There's reportedly a growing sense around the league that James will join the Cavs once again, returning to the team that he's spent 11 years of his career with.

The 41-year-old hasn't shown too many signs of slowing down this season, averaging 22.0 points, 7.1 assists, 5.8 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 50.2 percent from the field and 30.5 percent from behind the arc.