LeBron James has outlasted eras, rewritten record books, and become the defining face of basketball for more than 20 years, but this season may be the first time the 40-year-old star has openly stepped into a moment of real uncertainty.
James is “undecided” on whether this campaign will be his last, and every game from here out could double as part of an unofficial farewell, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
McMenamin noted that James began the season battling sciatica, an issue that kept him out of the Lakers’ opening 14 games.
But if this truly is the final chapter, James may feel compelled to push through.
“If James believes this could be his last season — something that sources close to James have insisted that he remains undecided about — he might feel even more responsibility to suit up for every game on what would then be a retirement tour,” McMenamin wrote.
James is in the final year of the two-year, $122 million extension he signed in the summer of 2024, having picked up his player option for this season. What comes next remains entirely up to him, and the franchise he has carried since twenty-nineteen.
One major factor is his pursuit of an unprecedented 22nd consecutive All-NBA selection.
He has earned a spot on the team every season since 2005, a streak no other player in league history has come close to. But new rules require at least 65 appearances with a minimum of 20 minutes played per game, and James can afford to miss only three more contests.
Should the streak fall, it could influence his decision just as much as the Lakers’ title outlook. And even if James wishes to continue, the front office has its own fork in the road. Los Angeles has already shifted toward the future by trading for Luka Doncic, a superstar entering his prime and expected to become the next face of the franchise.
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