LeBron James will turn 40 years old next year but still wants to play in the NBA. Could LeBron, however, become a player-coach?
It is an interesting idea. His future with the Los Angeles Lakers is currently uncertain, and Darvin Ham was dismissed by LA on Friday. The idea of LeBron replacing Ham as the Lakers head coach while continuing to play is an intriguing one, but it probably will not happen. At the very least, if LeBron and the Lakers really wanted it to happen, it would be a complicated process that wouldn't be as simple as just naming him head coach.
According to an ESPN article from 2004, the NBA had effectively forbidden teams from having player-coaches in the salary cap era, which began in the 1983-84 season. Teams would be able to work around the salary cap by paying a player-coach less as a player and more as a coach.
For example, a team could give LeBron James a salary well below expectations for someone of his status as a player. The team could then overpay him as a coach. The league clearly wanted to eliminate this loophole.
Before the 1983-84 implementation of the salary cap, there were a number of player-coaches. Legends such as Bill Russell and Bob Cousy were among those who spent time as player-coaches.
Perhaps someday the player-coach will return. The NBA would need to ensure that there is no way to work around the salary cap for a player-coach, though. That could potentially be done by having the player do the coaching job for “free” while having their normal player salary on the books. There would also have to be multiple levels of approval, likely at least from the league, the NBPA and the Board of Governors. There is no guarantee something this would go through even if LeBron and the Lakers wanted it to happen.
Nevertheless, LeBron would probably make a great NBA head coach someday if he opts to pursue that path. He is focused on finishing his playing career for now.
LeBron James' NBA future
LeBron has a player option for the 2024-25 season. He may choose to opt out and enter free agency for potentially the final time.
One element of James' possible free agency to consider is the fact that Bronny James declared for the 2024 NBA Draft. Rumors have swirled that the Lakers would be interested in drafting Bronny if it meant they could keep LeBron as well.
The general belief is that LeBron wants to play at least one year with his son. So if Bronny ends up getting selected by a team, whether it is the Lakers or another squad, that team will instantly become linked to LeBron.
Of course, James also wants to win another championship. He's already earned four NBA Finals victories, but adding at least one more to his resume would give him just one less than Michael Jordan's six championships.
The Lakers also have question marks to answer. They lost in the first-round during the 2024 NBA playoffs. LA moved on from Darvin Ham, and they will look to make roster changes during the offseason as well.
Their strategy will likely depend upon LeBron James' free agency decision. If he signs elsewhere, perhaps LA will try to rebuild. If James re-signs with the Lakers, though, the team will not have any other option but to try to win a championship.
As for the question of if LeBron James will become a player-coach, the answer is likely not. But even so, we know LeBron often likes to do his own coaching on the bench anyway, so he could just continue doing that no matter who is hired.
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