NBA legend LeBron James is already one of the most accomplished athletes in the world and his longevity over the past decades is unprecedented across all four major sports. But at the end of his 22nd season, not even LeBron's agent, Rich Paul, knows how much time the King has left.
“I have no idea. Zero," said Paul on The Rich Eisen Show. "Normally, our process is you kind of weigh everything and see how he’s feeling and all those types of things. Same process it’s been for the last I don’t know how many years. He’ll come around to what he’s thinking at some point and we’ll kind of go over some things and go from there.”
As the NBA's biggest sports agent, and a longtime friend of LeBron James, Rich Paul has more insight than most on what's happening in Los Angeles. While it's impossible to say with certainty what comes next for his client, Paul says that LeBron's decision will depend mostly on his mental state.
“I always get asked this question. Physically, he can play for several more years. I don’t think it’s the physical aspect of it. I think it’s where you’re at mentally," said Paul. "With all these guys, I think we put so much on the individual. There are a lot of layers to success as an individual. And I think when you think about him per se, there’s a lot of decisions that have to be made. You know, going into a locker room, what the roster looks like, what the approach of each player is. He’s always going to get everybody’s best shot and so is the team he’s on with the history of the team.”
On the court, LeBron hasn't lost a beat since he arrived over 20 years ago. In 70 games for the Lakers this past season, James was their most consistent player with averages of 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game on 51.3% shooting.
As the leader of the Lakers and their culture-setter in the locker room, James set the example for all of his teammates to follow, including Anthony Davis and then Luka Doncic after February's blockbuster trade.
James continued his strong play into the playoffs, leading the Lakers to the first round before losing to the Timberwolves in five games. LeBron tweaked his knee in the series and would have been out for the playoffs had the Lakers extended the series.
Going into next season, the Lakers are feeling good about their trajectory. With an offseason to fill out the roster, and find a center for Luka Doncic, the team is confident they can find a way to improve for the 2025-26 season. Whatever moves they make, however, LeBron will always be the key to their success and he will keep them relevant for as long as he's active.
At 40 years old, James is taking his career one year at a time and he will not rush to commit for another NBA season. As a 4x champion, 4x MVP, and 21x All-Star, LeBron has nothing left to prove in the game of basketball, but the potential rise of Bryce James gives him one more goal to strive for before it's all said and done. Once he's drafted in 2026, the King will be out of reasons to keep playing.
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