Amid an offseason full of questions about the future of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, one unknown revolves around how much longer he will play in the NBA in general, regardless of where.
There has been some speculation about the idea of the upcoming season, which will be James’ 23rd, being his last. But NBA insider Marc Stein thinks that James playing 25 seasons is possible.
“I believe that LeBron playing 25 seasons, by contrast, is a legit possibility on the board,” wrote Stein. “This is again purely a gut-feel read at the minute, but I certainly won’t be shocked if he plays two more seasons after this one. I’ve already made it clear that I think he will play at least 24. At that point why not go for a quarter-century?”
Stein also made a couple of other predictions that add important context to this one. He wrote that he believes James plans to retire before he turns 46, an age that would make him the oldest NBA player ever. That’s what led to Stein opining that 25 seasons is a legit possibility “by contrast.” He also wrote that he believes James will retire with a team other than the Lakers.
As such, based on Stein’s predictions, Lakers fans wouldn’t get to fully enjoy James’ incredible longevity into a potential 25th season without rooting for a player on another team. For now, the only season in which James is still under club control with the Lakers is the upcoming one.
If his 23rd season is his last with the Lakers, the squad will look to make it count. Los Angeles has made some key additions this offseason, headlined by its moves for big man Deandre Ayton and guard Marcus Smart, and the hope is certainly that the newcomers will help the team get closer to title contention.
James would surely love nothing more than to win a fifth ring in the 2025-26 campaign. His last one came in the 2019-20 season with the Lakers when his running mate was big man Anthony Davis. If he’s going to get another one with Los Angeles, he’s going to have to get it done with new co-star Luka Doncic.
Last season, James averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game. The 40-year-old is already about to break the record for most seasons played by an NBA player. If he were to make it to 25, regardless of where he were to spend his final years, that record would likely stand for a long time.
