LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
Photo by Harry How/Getty Images
LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
LeBron James is entering his 23rd NBA season. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar is also in the final year of his current contract, after opting into his $52.6 million player option earlier this summer.
According to former Boston Celtics champion Paul Pierce, this could be James’ last year in the NBA.
“IfI’m a betting man, I think this will be his last season,”Pierce said. “You know, I thinkhe’s played 21, 22 years.He’s been the GOAT for so long.He’s maintained the stats. We appreciate what he brought to the game and howhe’s held the mantle since (Michael) Jordan left. Bron is one of themones. We appreciate him. But I think his time is up. But we appreciate whathe’s done for the league.”
Paul Pierce thinks this will be LeBron James last season in the NBA 👀
“He’s been the GOAT for so long, he’s maintained the stats… I think his time is up but we appreciate what he’s done for the league.” pic.twitter.com/Lo15gqbSDE
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) September 2, 2025
James will turn 41 during the upcoming season. However, he’s shown few signs of slowing down on offense. During the 2024-25 campaign, James averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists on 51.3% shooting from the field and 37.6% from 3-point range.
While it’s true that James’ defense has taken a dip, his overall production is still at an elite level. Therefore, assuming he remains healthy, he can dictate the terms of his own exit from the league.
LeBron James Doesn’t Want To Leave The Lakers
Jared Greenberg of TNT, speaking via a recent episode of the “Good Word with Goodwill” podcast, recently explained why it’s clear that James wants to be in Los Angeles, despite reports to the contrary this summer.
“LeBron had the opportunity this summer to be a free agent and sign wherever he wanted,” Greenberg said. “… He didn’t want to sign for the minimum, he did not want to give away his no-trade clause. … Don’t then be confused as to why he’s still a Laker.”
Furthermore, it’s almost impossible for another team to trade for James this summer. As matching his salary would force a franchise to gut their roster, which would be counter-productive when signing a player in the final stretch of his career.
Nevertheless, James had the opportunity to leave the Lakers at the end of last season. The fact that he chose to stick around should tell you everything you need to know.
Lakers Are Building Around Doncic AND LeBron
When speaking to reporters during a news conference in Poland, Rob Pelinka made it clear that the Lakers are building around both James and Luka Doncic.
“Absolutely, the title next year is our plan,” Pelinka said. “With Doncic and LeBron, we have two top players. Now we want to build a real team around them…It was good to see new basketball players coming to training,” Pelinka said. “Deandre Ayton is a great reinforcement and such a center will be key for Luka’s passes. Marcus Smart will contribute on defense. But first, we want Luka to focus completely on this tournament with Slovenia. Then he can focus on the Lakers again.”
James has an opportunity to add another championship to his resume, especially now Doncic is also part of the rotation. Whether James sticks around beyond the upcoming season will remain a mystery, but for now, we should expect to see a driven and hungry version of the veteran superstar.
After all, another championship ring would further cement his legacy as the best player of all time.