LeBron James is “likely” to exercise his $52.6 million player option with the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2025-26 NBA season, ESPN insider Shams Charania has told ‘The Pat McAfee Show’.“That’s the plan,” Charania said on Tuesday, adding that the deadline to trigger this option is June 29. “He still has about a month to figure it out.”LeBron set for “hard conversations” with Lakers
It is being reported that James is looking to negotiate with the Lakers’ management for roster improvements ahead of next season.
In February this year, L.A. made headlines with the acquisition of Slovenian star Luka Doncic, in a multi-player trade with the Mavericks that saw Anthony Davis head to Dallas.
“There’s going to be some hard conversations that are going to happen between [James] and the Lakers, seeing what this team looks like […],” Charania said. “LeBron wants to be in a competitive environment.”
The Lakers finished the regular season with a 50-32 record, but were eliminated by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs.
LeBron in line for NBA longevity record
James is now poised to establish a record for the most seasons played in the NBA, with 2025-26 set to be the 40-year-old’s 23rd in the league.
The four-time champion, who suffered a Grade 2 medial collateral ligament sprain in the Lakers’ last game of 2024-25, averaged 24.4 points, 8.2 assists, 7.8 rebounds and one steal in 70 appearances this season.
