On Monday, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James sent a stir through the sports world when he teased a spoof of his infamous 2010 ESPN special, “The Decision,” which will air on Tuesday at noon. Fans were quick to speculate that James could be making an announcement that the upcoming 2025-26 Lakers season will be his last, thus opening the door for a Kobe Bryant-esque farewell tour.
In response to the news, ticket prices for the Lakers' final home game against the Utah Jazz in April surged, with the cheapest tickets now at $445, just hours after they were only $85, per TickPick.
Coincidentally, the final game of Kobe Bryant's illustrious career also occurred against the Utah Jazz in 2016, and Bryant added to his legend by dropping 60 (albeit on 50 shot attempts) against Utah in that game.
It should be noted that this Lakers team is expected to be back in the playoffs this year, so if that comes to fruition, the game against the Jazz would just be James' last regular season game, not his last game overall (that is, if his announcement on Tuesday indeed pertains to retirement).
Will LeBron James actually retire?
LeBron James has been hinting at his retirement for a few years now, constantly giving answers to the tune of “we'll see” when asked about his future at end of season exit interviews.
If the 2025-26 season is indeed James' last in the NBA, the Lakers did well to acquire a heck of a building block for the future in Luka Doncic, whom they signed to a lucrative extension this offseason.
While James is still a borderline top ten player in the league and can no doubt help the Lakers win in the short term, the absence of his mammoth contract might allow Rob Pelinka and company to construct a more sensible roster for Doncic's strengths and weaknesses.
In any case, there is clearly a lot to sort out between now and when the Lakers kick off their season on October 21 against the Golden State Warriors.
