LeBron James is entering his 23rd year in the NBA, playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, and one anonymous NBA executive believes that the 2025-26 campaign would not be his final one.
In an interview with Lakers Daily, the front office member posited that James is keen on playing alongside his youngest son, Bryce, who will be eligible for the 2026 NBA Draft.
“I think LeBron plays one or two more seasons unless the Lakers win it all next year,” the exec told Ashish Mathur of Lakers Daily. “Bryce James 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,” he concluded.
Los Angeles Lakers News: LeBron James catches stray from former NBA journeyman
LeBron James raised eyebrows when he was seen at the Los Angeles Clippers’ facility last summer before picking up his player option to extend his stay with the Los Angeles Lakers. This bold move apparently irked former NBA player Olden Polynice.
“I don’t want to throw the word of the day out there, which is narcissistic, but it’s along those lines. He has to stay talked about, he has to stay in the media, that’s all it is. He knew what he was doing,” Polynice stated about James’ Clippers visit.
“The one thing I’ve always hated about LeBron is that when they win, it’s all him. But when they lose, it’s all them. I’ve always hated that narrative. We could have spoken more to his greatness if one day he had said, ‘That’s on me,’ just one time, ‘That’s on me.’ And to me, that’s the problem,” he added.
