Lakers want LeBron James to ‘choose his story’ as free agency looms after 2025-26 season

With LeBron James entering the final year of his contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, uncertainty around his long-term future as a professional basketball player will be a pertinent storyline until he makes a decision. The Lakers, respecting his status as an all-time great, are content to let James chart his own path forward with Luka Dončić also in the fold as one of the faces of the franchise.

This season is James’ 23rd in the NBA. The four-time MVP, now 40, is the oldest active player in the league. Retirement is bound to come sooner rather than later, but James has not been clear about when he will step away or which team will be his last.

“The first thing we want to do in terms of LeBron and his future is just give him absolute respect to choose his story with his family in terms of how many years he’s going to continue to play,” Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said on Thursday. “He’s earned that right, and he’s the best one to talk about that.”

In July, James picked up his $52.6 million player option to remain with the Lakers for an eighth season. His agent, Rich Paul, said the Lakers star did not ask the team for a contract beyond the upcoming season and confirmed that multiple teams reached out with interest in trading for him. If he concludes his career elsewhere, it is not immediately clear where that may be.

Could he return to Cleveland or Miami? Would he join the Clippers to avoid leaving Los Angeles? Might another large-market team come into play? Everything remains conjecture.

“We would love if LeBron’s story would be to retire as a Laker,” said Pelinka. “That would be a positive story.”

James hardly slowed down last season with his 24.4 points, 8.2 assists and 7.2 rebounds per game. He even logged a career-best free throw percentage. He is not the same scorer he was in his early years with the Lakers nor in his peak seasons as a pro, but the future first-ballot Hall of Famer seemingly has enough in the tank to be an All-Star for as long as he wants to play.

The Lakers have a succession plan in place once James leaves either for retirement or for another team. Dončić will be the face of the franchise in his absence, and his superstardom gives the Lakers the potential to contend for titles on a perennial basis.

“We were very intentional this summer in terms of the pieces we added with Luka and LeBron once LeBron opted in, making sure that they had the necessary pieces around them to be on a really competitive, strong team,” said Pelinka. “We built into that and for that.”