LeBron James is not done. At 41, the NBA’s all-time standard-bearer has decided to keep going for a 24th season, which would set a league record. But the next chapter won’t be written in Los Angeles.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Tuesday, just before free agency opened, that James has told the Lakers he will play elsewhere next season. Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul relayed the news to ESPN, saying the franchise can move on without him.
What happens next is the real mystery. James’ options are wide open, and one possibility that has surfaced is a third stint in Cleveland.
The louder recent buzz, though, has pointed to Golden State, where the Warriors are reportedly interested in teaming him with Steph Curry after the two shared the floor for Team USA at the 2024 Olympics. Draymond Green even declined his player option for the upcoming season in an effort to help make that happen.
The move comes after another productive season from James. In 2025-26, he put up 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 1.2 steals in 33.2 minutes across 60 games. He turned it up in the playoffs, averaging 23.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 1.3 steals, but the Lakers were eliminated in the second round after a sweep by the Thunder.
James’ career has already stretched across eras, teams and record books. Cleveland took him with the No. 1 pick in the 2003 NBA draft, and he stayed there through the 2009-10 season. The Cavaliers reached the Finals in 2007 and were swept by the Spurs, and after repeated postseason disappointments, he left in 2010.
He went to Miami next, joining Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. The Heat lost the 2011 Finals to the Mavericks, then won back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013 before falling to the Spurs in 2014.
James returned to Cleveland after that, and the second act delivered the title that had eluded the franchise. In his first season back, the Cavs lost to the Warriors in the Finals, but in 2015 James helped power a comeback from 3-1 down to beat Golden State in seven games and win Cleveland’s first NBA championship. Golden State got the better of Cleveland again in the 2017 and 2018 Finals before James moved on.
He signed with the Lakers in the summer of 2018 and has stayed there ever since. Los Angeles missed the playoffs in 2019, won the title in 2020 and has had only scattered postseason success since.
Even now, James’ numbers still land him in territory nobody else has touched. He enters the 2026-27 season as the NBA’s all-time leader in more than a dozen regular-season categories and owns nearly every major postseason record.
He leads the league’s regular-season lists in points (43,440), games (1,622), minutes (61,030) and field goals made (15,961). He is also sixth in three-pointers (2,636), fourth in assists (12,061), sixth in steals (2,417) and 24th in rebounds (12,095).
Another strong season could move him into the top 20 in rebounds. It would also push him past Jason Kidd (12,091) into third place on the assists list, with Chris Paul’s No. 2 mark (12,552) within reach.
James also owns the highest value over replacement player in NBA history at 156.61, leads all players in career box plus/minus at 8.53, and remains the only player in NBA history with at least 40,000 points, 11,500 rebounds and 11,500 assists.
The trophy case matches the résumé. James has four MVP awards, 22 All-Star selections and a record 13 All-NBA first-team honors, along with four second-team nods and three third-team selections.
Still, the chase that matters most to him is another ring. He has four championships, and each one came with Finals MVP honors. His most recent title came with the Lakers in the NBA’s COVID-19 bubble in 2020.
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