Star forward LeBron James exercised his player option for the 2025-26 campaign with the Los Angeles Lakers after they didn’t offer him a new contract beyond this coming season.
The signal the Lakers sent with that decision “did not go down easily,” per a report from ESPN’s Brian Windhorst and Ramona Shelburne.
“The Lakers had already made their statement in not offering James a contract beyond this season,” Windhorst and Shelburne wrote. “It was abundantly clear that the 21-time All-Star’s time as the face of the Lakers had, for the first time, a planned end date, even if James’ record-setting NBA career did not yet.
“Whether the 2025-26 season is to be James’ final season in the NBA is up to him. But if he wanted the kind of Hollywood ending that only the Lakers can give legends of the game, the release date was set.
“Spring, 2026.
“Luka Doncic in, LeBron James out.
“The Lakers would of course celebrate him the way they did Kobe Bryant on his retirement tour back in 2016, if that’s what James ultimately decided.
“But for the first time in his 23-year NBA career, a team had not begged or borrowed against its future to do everything it could to keep James beyond his current contract.”
Windhorst and Shelburne continued.
“THE LAKERS’ POSTURE did not come as a surprise to James, sources said,” they wrote. “But it also did not go down easily.”
James is accustomed to teams altering their rosters and doing all in their power for an opportunity to sign or keep him.
While he remains an elite player, it’s understandable why the Lakers didn’t offer him a new contract beyond this season with how long in the tooth he is. On top of being 40 years old, James already has roughly as many miles on his body as any player in league history, as he’s been in the NBA for 22 seasons and has suited up in countless playoff games as well.
The Lakers’ looming contract situation regarding Doncic might have also played a part in their decision not to make a new commitment to James.
Doncic has just one more year of club control attached to his current deal. He could hit unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2026 by opting out of his contract after he gets paid approximately $46 million this coming season. The Lakers would like to extend him this offseason.
Inking both James and Doncic to lucrative deals beyond the 2025-26 season could put the Lakers in a tough spot financially and give the team even fewer avenues to improve its roster moving forward.
While James exercised his player option last month and is officially a member of the Lakers today, it’s not exactly set in stone that he will be suiting up for the storied franchise once again in the 2025-26 season. There seems to be some friction happening behind the scenes, raising questions about whether the partnership will end sooner than expected.
James’ situation in Los Angeles is one to keep an eye on in the coming days and weeks.