LeBron James has been the face of the NBA for more than two decades: winning titles, becoming the all-time scoring leader and defining an entire era of basketball. But Father Time remains the only undefeated, undisputed champion.
The Los Angeles Lakers star reportedly remains undecided on whether this season will be his last, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
If he does decide to retire at the end of this season, it’s possible James could play every game for the rest of the way, in the hopes of giving himself and fans a proper farewell tour. James dealt with sciatica in his right side to begin this season, forcing him to miss the Lakers’ first 14 games.
“If James believes this could be his last season — something that sources close to James have insisted that he remains undecided about — he might feel even more responsibility to suit up for every game on what would then be a retirement tour,” McMenamin wrote.
James signed a two-year, $102 million maximum extension with Los Angeles in the summer of 2024, with the second year of the contract serving as a player option. He picked up that option in 2025, making this season the final one on his current deal. There are a number of factors, in addition to his expiring contract, that will sway James’ decision.
LeBron James Is In Jeopardy Of Losing Incredible Streak
One of those factors, as McMenamin discusses in his story, will likely be James’ pursuit of a record 22nd consecutive All-NBA selection.
He has been named to an All-NBA team every season since 2004-05, his second year in the league. No one else in NBA history has more than 15 selections, with Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Kareem Abdul-Jabaar tied for second on the all-time list (James also has a record 13 All-NBA first team selections).
The issue for James this year is that the NBA changed the requirements for selection to an All-NBA team ahead of the 2023-24 season, making it so that players must play at least 20 minutes in a minimum of 65 regular season games to be eligible. LeBron, who will turn 41 in December, can now only miss three more games this season to remain in consideration for an All-NBA team.
If James loses his All-NBA streak at some point this season (especially before the calendar turns to 2026), it may compel him to declare this year his last. What could be more of an influence, however, is whether or not James believes he can win a championship with this Lakers squad — or make his way to a team in a better position to do so.
Los Angeles Lakers Poised To Move On From LeBron James
If James decides he wants to return for his record 24th NBA season, the Lakers decision on whether or not to offer him a new contract will be fascinating.
The organization, maybe more so than any other NBA team, understands the cache that LeBron brings. He remains the most popular player in the world even in the twilight of his career, and having a megastar player is standard operating procedure for a team in Los Angeles
From a basketball standpoint, however, the Lakers will face a crossroads if James wants to play in 2026-27. General manager Rob Pelinka made the blockbuster trade to acquire Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks last February, bringing in another elite scorer and All-NBA player just entering the prime of his career. Eventually, the Lakers need to fully hand the reins to the Slovenian guard.
But for now, James has yet to put anything in motion, as he continues to mull his future.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Lakers’ LeBron James Is Reportedly Mulling His Future appeared first on Heavy Sports.