LeBron James is set to begin his 23rd season in the NBA next month, setting another record in the process, but there is a lot of speculation that season No. 23 will be the final one for the Los Angeles Lakers star — or at least as a Lakers star.
James, the oldest player in the NBA, will turn 41 years old in December, and while there have been rumors as to when he might retire, James himself hasn't given a clear indication when or where he will do so. And that, as well as some public discord between James and the Lakers this offseason, has led some to believe that if he, indeed, does play a 24th season, it will not be in purple and gold.
ESPN's Tim Bontemps conducted a poll of 20 NBA executives, coaches, and scouts, asking them numerous questions, including where they think James will begin the 2026-27 season. The results were diverse; a plurality of seven said the Lakers, two more than the next most-popular response: retired.
“If I was taking the Lakers or the field,” an Eastern Conference scout said, via Bontemps, “I'd take the field. But I'll take the Lakers over any specific team, especially given they are the one with a clear path to pay him.”
A Western Conference scout who believes James will be retired by next season reportedly said, “It just feels like it's where it's going to end.”
Half of the remaining eight respondents said James would be on the Cleveland Cavaliers, with whom he began his career and won an NBA championship in 2016. Two said the Golden State Warriors, who inquired about a trade for James before the deadline in 2024. One chose the Dallas Mavericks, who have former James teammates Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving, ex-Lakers assistant coach Jason Kidd, and 2025 No. 1 overall draft pick Cooper Flagg. And one person said the Miami Heat, with whom James signed in 2010 and won back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013 before his return to Cleveland in 2014.
James made history last season when he and Bronny James, who the Lakers drafted last year, became the first father-son duo to play in the NBA at the same time or together on the same team. Notably, LeBron's second son, Bryce James, is an incoming freshman at Arizona and will be eligible for the 2026 NBA Draft.
