After it was reported that Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe was offered $776 million to join the Saudi Pro League, LeBron James joked about leaving the Los Angeles Lakers for a mega contract in Saudi Arabia. That joke has led to real betting odds being created for LeBron James to sign with a Saudi Arabia team. Would the Lakers' star actually play in a league other than the NBA?

BetOnline has listed odds for LeBron James to sign with any Saudi team in 2023 or 2024. The odds for “no” are -600. James is given +350 odds to sign with a Saudi team.

With +350 odds, there's a 22.2% implied probability that James will sign with a pro basketball team in Saudi Arabia at some point within the next 17 months. The idea that there's actually a better than one-in-five chance that James will leave the Lakers for a Saudi team seems utterly ridiculous. And that's probably putting it mildly.

James and Giannis Antetokounmpo both joked about leaving the NBA for more money than they've earned in their NBA careers. They were clearly said in jest, and it's not something that has a realistic chance of happening anytime soon.

Maybe it's only a matter of time before Saudi Arabia starts throwing ridiculous offers at NBA players. They've already found success with LIV Golf and lured soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo to the country for more than $200 million.

No offers have been made to NBA stars, as of yet. James isn't going to Saudi Arabia when he can potentially add a fifth championship ring to his resume and strengthen his argument to be recognized as the greatest basketball player of all time.

At the ESPYs, James announced that he would put off retirement for at least one more year and return to the Lakers.

James has two years and $99 million left on his contract with the Lakers. He has a $51.4 million player option for the 2024-2025 season.