Overview

• James exercised his $52.6 million player option to return to the Lakers for the 2025–26 season, his 23rd year in the NBA.
• Former Laker Byron Scott said James has not yet earned a statue outside Crypto.com Arena and argued another championship in Los Angeles would give him a chance.
• Scott cited the franchise’s statue tradition of long-tenured, multi-title Lakers such as Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O’Neal.
• An ESPN poll of 20 coaches, scouts and executives predicted seven votes for James staying with the Lakers in 2026–27, five for retirement, four for the Cavaliers, two for the Warriors, and one each for the Mavericks and Heat.
• Agent Rich Paul urged observers to focus on the present, saying to “appreciate the present” with James as questions persist about his post-2025–26 plans.