After the Los Angeles Lakers were bounced in the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves, all eyes turned to LeBron James. With his 22nd season in the books, many fans wondered what the future held for James, especially after the team went out and made a blockbuster trade for Luka Doncic in February.
Despite turning 40 years old back in December, James has shown virtually no signs of decline. He was as solid as ever this past season, averaging 24.4 points, 8.2 assists, and 7.8 rebounds per game while shooting 51.3% from the field. While L.A. earned the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, the team faltered in the postseason, losing to Minnesota in five games.
Considering his age, retirement is going to be a question for James every year from here on out. It always seemed more likely than not that he'd be back for at least one more season, though, and NBA insider Shams Charania of ESPN confirmed that James is leaning towards opting into his player option with the Lakers for the 2025-26 season.
"I'm told he's likely to opt in," Charania said on "The Pat McAfee Show." "That's likely, that's the plan, but again, his option day is June 29, so he still has about a month to figure out."
"I'm told LeBron James is likely to opt in..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) May 27, 2025
He's got a massive player option and that's the plan..
He still has about a month to figure that out"@ShamsCharania #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/8mzUsMCU9r
If James opts into his player option, he will earn $52.6 million next season. Assuming his contract isn't altered, he would hit unrestricted free agency at the end of the campaign, but it seems unlikely that he will hit the open market, as Los Angeles would likely hand him a new deal, or he'd simply retire.
After falling short of expectations once again this season, the Lakers need to make some moves this offseason. But first, they need to figure out what is going on with James. It seems like he's set to opt into his deal, so where Los Angeles goes from here will determine what the future of their franchise looks like.