King James will be back on the court in the fall.
LeBron James‘ agent said Sunday that the NBA legend is exercising his $52.6 million player option to return for a record-setting 23rd NBA season and eighth with the Los Angeles Lakers. “LeBron wants to compete for a championship,” Rich Paul, who is president of UTA-backed Klutch Sports Group, told ESPN.
James, 40, is the NBA’s all-time leader in points scored and next season could pass Robert Parish for most games played, needing just 50 more to break that record. He also has four league MVP awards and four NBA championships — a total he’s eager to increase.
“He knows the Lakers are building for the future,” Paul told the sports outlet. “He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all. … “We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future. We do 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, are supportive and want what’s best for him.”
A 21-time All-Star, James is tied with Vince Carter for most NBA seasons played and will set that mark when the Lakers tip off their 2025-26 campaign in October. The small forward has 42,184 points in 1,562 games since joining his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers after being picked No. 1 overall in the 2003 NBA Draft right out of high school.
He joined the Miami Heat as a free agent in 2010 — announcing that move with an infamous televised special titled The Decision in which he said he’s “taking my talents to South Beach” — and won back-to-back NBA titles there in 2012 and 2013. He returned to the Cavaliers in 2014 and led the club to its first championship in 2016. He joined the Lakers in 2019 led them to the NBA title during the Covid-shortened 2019-20 season, beating the Heat.
The Buss family, which has owned the Lakers since 1979, is selling a majority stake in the team, with Jeanie Buss set to remain as its governor.
