LeBron James exercises $52.6 million player option to return to Lakers for 2025–26 season

The Los Angeles Lakers’ management and fans can breathe a sigh of relief after LeBron James’ longtime agent and Klutch Sports CEO, Rich Paul, confirmed to ESPN that James will exercise his $52.6 million player option with the franchise for the 2025–26 NBA season.

This means James will make history yet again by becoming the first player in NBA history to play 23 seasons in the league. The 40-year-old is currently tied with NBA legend Vince Carter for the most seasons played.

Paul added that James is eager to win another NBA championship and will closely monitor the Lakers’ offseason moves, particularly how management positions the team to contend for the title in the upcoming season.

Breaking: LeBron James is opting into his $52.6 million player option for the 2025-26 season with the Los Angeles Lakers, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul told @ShamsCharania.

Paul says “[LeBron] knows the Lakers are building for the future … but he values a realistic chance of… pic.twitter.com/prg7TQfd4Q

— ESPN (@espn) June 29, 2025

“LeBron wants to compete for a championship. He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all. We are appreciative of the partnership we’ve had for eight years with Jeanie Buss and Rob Pelinka and consider the Lakers a critical part of his career,” Paul said.

“We understand the difficulty of winning now while preparing for the future. We want to evaluate what’s best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, support him, and want what’s best for him,” he added.

James has played 1,562 regular-season games and is just 50 games away from surpassing Robert Parish’s all-time record for most regular-season games played.

Despite his age, James continued to perform at an elite level during the 2024–25 season, averaging 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game, once again emerging as the Lakers’ best player. He was one of only three players—alongside Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic—to average at least 25.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 7.0 assists from December 30 onward.

With James committed, the Lakers’ management will need to make smart roster additions, as those moves could play a decisive role in shaping LeBron’s future with the franchise.

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