Milan, June 30 (LaPresse) – LeBron James will exercise his $52.6 million player option with the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2025–26 season, further confirming that he will become the first player in NBA history to play a 23rd season. The news was revealed Sunday by a person familiar with the decision, who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity, as neither James nor the team has publicly announced it. ESPN and The Athletic were among the first to report it. James will turn 41 in December. He has been named to the All-NBA team in 21 of his 22 seasons in the league.
James, who recently returned to on-court training after spending several weeks recovering from a knee ligament strain suffered during the Lakers’ final game of last season’s playoffs, told the AP earlier this month that he expects to be ready for training camp. “I have plenty of time to take care of the injury, the knee, the rest of my body, and make sure I’m as close to 100% as possible when camp starts at the end of September,” James said in that interview.
If there were still doubts about the return of the NBA’s oldest active player for at least one more season, they’ve now been put to rest. James had until Sunday afternoon to decide on the option, which brings his career earnings to around $580 million. The upcoming season will also mark his first full year with Luka Doncic as a teammate. Doncic was traded to the Lakers from Dallas in February, but the team, despite entering the playoffs as the third seed in a loaded Western Conference, was eliminated in the first round by Minnesota.
© Copyright LaPresse
