Jason Burgos
While many expect LeBron James to play one more season in the NBA, a new report offers up a major reason why he may actually be a few months away from retiring.
Although James is still competing at a high level, at 41 years old his basketball career is on borrowed time, and the end is near. The 22-time All-Star has flirted with the idea of retirement in recent years, but when push comes to shove, actually walking away from the game he has dominated for much of the last quarter century never got close.
Over the last few months, there has been a lot of speculation that James’ days with the Los Angeles Lakers will probably come to an end after this season. But the league-wide belief is that he will return for one more season to have a farewell tour. Or maybe not.
On Wednesday, Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus took a look at the latest when it comes to LeBron James’ future, and that returning for the 2026-27 season is far from a guarantee.
“James has gotten the unique privilege of playing with his son, Bronny James. His second son, Bryce James, is redshirting at Arizona, and as his father noted earlier in the year, is on his own timeline,” the NBA insider wrote. “The buzz has James going one more year, to get his flowers on the way out. Still, not everyone needs a farewell tour, and he may choose to retire after the 2025-26 campaign.”
Could owning new Las Vegas team push LeBron James into retirement this summer?
Walking away from such a monumental career won’t be easy. However, James has had a recent goal for life after basketball that would keep him close to the NBA, just not as a player. And this is to be the owner of a team. That possibility could be close, and his long-time pal and agent, Rich Paul, could soon make a major move that gets them closer to owning an NBA team.
“There’s a rumor going around the league that [James] will be the face of the NBA’s expansion team in Las Vegas,” Pincus wrote. “One line of thinking is that he might retire, and his agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, might sell the rest of his agency to UTA (United Talent Agency). With financial backing, they then might look to step into ownership roles.
“It’s important to note the NBA has not decided on expansion, let alone which cities. If Vegas is among the most likely destinations (along with Seattle), the league will let multiple candidates pitch locations.”
The league is expected to take a deeper look into potential ownership groups this spring and make a final decision on whether it will add more teams this summer. If the NBA starts taking pitches, it makes sense if LeBron James were to walk away from the sport to help build the consortium necessary to achieve his next big goal of being an owner.
