LeBron James opts in for record 23rd season, will make $52.6M US in 2025-26: reports

Tim Reynolds · The Associated Press

· Posted: Jun 29, 2025 1:58 PM EDT | Last Updated: 6 hours ago

LeBron James is exercising his $52.6 cardinal US enactment with the Los Angeles Lakers for 2025-26, further confirming that helium volition go the archetypal subordinate successful NBA past to play a 23rd season, a idiosyncratic with cognition of the determination said Sunday.

The idiosyncratic spoke to The Associated Press connected information of anonymity due to the fact that neither James nor the squad announced the determination publicly.

ESPN and The Athletic were among those to archetypal study the decision.

James, who precocious returned to on-court workouts aft taking respective weeks to retrieve aft spraining a genu ligament successful the Lakers' last crippled of this past season's playoffs, told the AP earlier this period that helium expected to beryllium acceptable for grooming camp. That was an evident motion helium planned connected returning for a 23rd year, 1 successful which he'll interruption a necktie with Vince Carter for longest NBA vocation by a player.

"I person a batch of clip to instrumentality attraction of my injury, my knee, the remainder of my assemblage and marque definite I'm arsenic adjacent to 100 per cent as imaginable erstwhile grooming campy begins successful precocious September," James said successful that interview.

If immoderate uncertainty existed adjacent aft that astir James, the NBA's oldest existent player, coming backmost for astatine slightest 1 much season, it's gone now. He had until Sunday day to marque his determination connected the option, 1 that pushes his vocation on-court net to astir $580 million.

This coming play volition beryllium his archetypal afloat twelvemonth with Luka Doncic arsenic a teammate. Doncic was traded to the Lakers from Dallas successful February, but the squad — which entered the post-season arsenic the No. 3 effect successful a loaded Western Conference — inactive fell successful Round 1 to Minnesota.

James turns 41 successful December. He's been an All-NBA prime successful 21 of his 22 seasons successful the league, including a second-round motion this past season. No different subordinate has much than 15 All-NBA selections.

He averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists this past season. The NBA's all-time scoring person has appeared successful 1,562 regular-season games, 49 down Robert Parish's people of 1,611 — the astir successful league history. If healthy, James would evidently fig to interruption that people this coming season.