The Los Angeles Lakers were among the favorites to win this season’s NBA title. With LeBron James and Luka Doncic in their ranks, the Purple and Gold looked set for something big. Unfortunately, things didn’t pan out according to the expectations at all. They suffered a brutal 1-4 defeat at the hands of Timberwolves. Going into the next season, one question has popped up significantly. What happens to LeBron James?
Well, there is good news for the Lakers fans. As it turns out, King James will be looking to stretch his NBA career by at least another season. According to updates from Shams Charania, James will look to play in the next season as well. Not only that, the Lakers’ legend will probably also opt for a whopping $54 million player option.
“[Bryce James] is gonna be potentially draft eligible in 2026 … [LeBron’s] got a 54-million dollar player option … He probably opts into that,” said Charania.
.@ShamsCharania says LeBron James is expected to play "at least another NBA season".
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) May 1, 2025
"[Bryce James] is gonna be potentially draft eligible in 2026 … [LeBron's] got a 54-million dollar player option … He probably opts into that." 👀 pic.twitter.com/IrdvaCaRms
Well, the rumors regarding James’ retirement have been going on for quite some time now. With his age reaching 40, a lot of fans are calling him out for continuing his career well beyond his prime. Playing in the 2024-25 regular season, James does have promising stats to show. He has averaged 24.4 points per game with 8.2 assists on average. Meanwhile, this is not the first time Shams Charania has doubled down on King James’ retirement.
Shams Charania Made A Bold LeBron James Prediction
Last year, the minority owner of the Dallas Mavericks, Mark Cuban, stated that James must consider retirement. And much like Cuban, a lot of other fans and critics too, share a similar sentiment. But soon, Shams Charania came in to pour cold water on their speculations. As of now, it looks like LeBron James is going nowhere.
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“LeBron James is gonna play at least two more years, and he could potentially go three. I don’t think anybody would be surprised if he played beyond next season,” Charania said.
"LeBron James is gonna play at least two more years and he could potentially go three..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) October 22, 2024
I don't think anybody would be surprised if he played beyond next season" ~ @ShamsCharania #PMSLive https://t.co/wLYgf8kyam pic.twitter.com/1C0SvlMTI6
Thus, it is now evident that James will get another opportunity to go for his 5th NBA title. It now remains to be seen whether he can successfully pull it off or not.
