LeBron James will begin his 23rd NBA season in less than a month and is remarkably still one of the best basketball players in the world. The 
L.A. Lakers superstar is 40 years old and on a team with legit championship aspirations.
And accompanying James is all-world point guard Luka Doncic, who will spend his first full season in the “City of Angels.” Regardless of what happens going forward, James’ legacy as one of the greatest players of all time is already secure.
|
LeBron James NBA Career Stats |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Category |
Stats |
|
|
Points per game |
27.0 |
|
|
Assists per game |
7.4 |
|
|
Rebounds per game |
7.5 |
|
|
Steals per game |
1.5 |
|
|
Blocks per game |
0.7 |
|
|
Career awards |
4x NBA MVP, 4x NBA Finals MVP, 21x All-Star, 13x All-NBA First Team, 4x All-NBA Second Team, 4x All-NBA Third Team |
|
|
NBA titles |
4 |
|
At this stage in his career, the veteran forward is justifiably contemplating retirement every offseason. LeBron has never provided an exact timeline for when his career will end, and it’s not easy to deduce anything considering the level he’s still playing at.
Fortunately, ESPN Senior NBA Insider Shams Charania was able to give an exclusive update on the four-time champion’s future via his agent, Rich Paul.
Shams Charania provides update on LeBron James’ retirement plans
Rich Paul has been with LeBron James from the very beginning, growing up with his client in Akron, Ohio. Therefore, if anyone is a great source about when LeBron decides to end his iconic career, it’s his agent and close friend.
Basketball Network’s Shane Garry Acedera ultimately detailed a revealing quote from Shams Charania. On a segment of NBA Today, Shams went into detail on a conversation he had with Rich Paul concerning LeBron’s end-of-career plans.
“I did speak to his agent, Rich Paul at Klutch Sports, today, and he told me, ‘It’s important not to worry about the future when it comes to LeBron James. Just appreciate the present, and also maximize it.’ That obviously, the onus, potentially falling on the Lakers and what team they put around him…I think the other thing that sits here as well is Bryce James is gonna start his freshman year at college. How does he look in that prospect? How does he play into the 2026 NBA Draft? These are the things that LeBron James is open-minded about.”
An NBA executive believes LeBron will only retire in 2026 for two reasons
LeBron is currently in the second year of a $101 million contract extension he signed last year. That agreement reduced the speculation that James would retire this offseason, as the assumption was that he would see this deal through.
After the 2025-26 season, the 21-time All-Star is set to be an unrestricted free agent. So this very much could be the last year of LeBron’s career, even though Rich Paul doesn’t seem to be entirely sure of that.
Neither does an anonymous NBA executive, who spoke to Lakers Daily about a week ago. This source offers further insight into LeBron’s desire to play with his son, Bryce, while also explaining the two scenarios that would prompt him to retire at the end of this season.
“I think LeBron plays one or two more seasons unless the Lakers win it all next year. Bryce will be eligible for the 2026 draft. There are some whispers that LeBron wants to play with him, too. We’ll see what happens, but I just can’t see LeBron retiring after next season. He’s still too good of a player to just walk away. Unless there’s a huge drop-off in his production or the Lakers win the championship, I think LeBron is playing in 2026-27.”
Many of the NBA’s greatest players have decided to play way past their prime before calling it quits. It’s usually the motto of athletes to play until they can no longer compete at the highest level.
The problem for LeBron is that it’s hard to envision him being a fringe NBA player anytime soon. He’s still, at worst, a second-best player on a contender, and coming off a season where he averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game.
What will likely cause James to retire is the consistent wear and tear on his body, as well as his desire to focus energy on more off-court endeavors.
But, as of now, LeBron remains as motivated as ever to compete with the world’s best players. At this point, the 23-year vet certainly isn’t still playing basketball because he needs to; he’s doing it because he wants to.
About Author
