The upcoming 2025-26 season will be the 23rd season for LeBron James. The Los Angeles Lakers star will be the only player in NBA history to play 23 seasons. Right now, he’s tied with Vince Carter, who finished his career after playing 22 seasons. However, James’ situation is different since he’s still at the top of his game and is one of the top options for the Lakers.
James still wants to contend for another championship, which is why he hasn’t retired yet. However, there have been signs of Father Time catching up to him. Over the past few seasons, the four-time champion has dealt with various injuries. However, he has been able to go over these obstacles.
For the new season, he’ll experience an entire campaign with Luka Doncic for the first time, as the team will attempt to contend for a championship. The Lakers acquired the Slovenian star from the Dallas Mavericks via a trade last season. Together, they’ve suited up for 23 games.
Head coach JJ Redick spoke about King James’ condition during Thursday’s Los Angeles Lakers Media Day. According to him, the four-time MVP is in a great state mentally.
“I came away from that thinking he’s in a great spot mentally and know he’s going to give us his absolute best,” Redick said.
Redick revealed that he met with James twice during the offseason. Despite his current contract status, their time together showed that the 20-time All-Star is prepared to play a significant role in the team’s success.
James wasn’t given an extension over the summer and is on a contract year. But there have been rumors that it could be his final year since he doesn’t have a secure deal after the 2025-26 campaign. However, the Lakers star hasn’t given an official statement regarding his post-playing career.
The Los Angeles Lakers want James to control his legacy, but wish that he ends his career with them
James is 40, but is still playing like he’s in his mid-30s. While that has been impressive, the Los Angeles Lakers have shifted their focus to Doncic. Even with that, the team’s president of basketball operations, Rob Pelinka, revealed that the organization wants him to remain with the team.
During the Lakers’ Media Day, Pelinka discussed James and said that he was being given the power to manage his legacy. But they still want him to retire as part of the franchise.
“The first thing we want to do in terms of LeBron and his future is just give him the absolute respect to choose his story with his family in terms of how many years he’s going to continue to play,” the executive said. “He’s earned that right, and he’s the best one to talk about that in terms of how many years he’d like to play. … We would love if LeBron’s story would be to retire as a Laker.”
Rob Pelinka shares that the Lakers organization would love to see LeBron retire as a Laker. (via @JordanRichardSC) pic.twitter.com/hStVZyWC1i
— Swish Cultures (@swishcultures_) September 25, 2025
James has the final say on when his final year in the league will be.
For other sports-related content:
Follow me on X at @BarbecueBro, and follow us at @HardwoodHeroics and @GridironHeroics. You can also reach out to Reign Amurao via email at reignamuraonba@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest sports news, click here!
Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
