It was less than two weeks ago when LeBron James made the decision to opt into the final year of his contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, locking in his $52.6 million salary for the 2025-26 NBA season. While many analysts took LeBron’s decision as a sign that he was entrenched in LA for at least another year, now some experts are changing their minds due to recent developments.
Specifically, The Athletic’s Lakers reporter Jovan Buha is now reporting that James may not be on the best of terms with the Lake Show.
“I mean, I want to be careful with what I say about Bron’s relationship with the front office or the organization, but I don’t think it’s in the best place right now, to be completely honest. As you know, there’s been no official statement about LeBron opting in. There typically is—especially for a player of that magnitude. And then he’s had his stuff on social media or whatever he’s posted, and there was obviously the statement when he opted in. So, I don’t think things are in the best place they’ve ever been. I’ll just say that. Make of that what you want.”
Jovan Buha on LeBron James
At this point, it’s hard to imagine LeBron closing out his career anywhere but in a Lakers uniform. After all, California is where he’s made his home for the past seven seasons, and it’s where Bronny James is now trying to make a career with the Lakers’ G-League team too.
Yet, if the relationship is truly too frayed to manage, then it’s not unfathomable to believe LeBron could chase another opportunity to contend elsewhere. After all, he’s already changed teams three times, even when it seemed like he’d never leave his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers. In other words, anything is possible.
Get the latest on all Los Angeles sports at LAFBNetwork.com
Sports fan since birth. I am also passionate about cars, music, and anything funny. Minnesotan, born and raised. Maybe ... More about Andrew Buller-Russ