Nobody knows when LeBron James will decide to hang up his sneakers. Some said James will do so during the NBA Summer League.
But his inevitable retirement may come later than most anticipate. According to reports, James won't stop playing until he gets a shot at playing with his son Bryce, per Ashish Mathur of Lakers Daily.
He wrote that an NBA executive told him that was the case.
“I think LeBron plays one or two more seasons unless the Lakers win it all next year,” the NBA executive said. “Bryce [James] will be eligible for the 2026 draft. There are some whispers that LeBron wants to play with him too.
Ultimately, the nameless executive doesn't foresee James calling it quits after this season, given that he can still ball.
“We’ll see what happens, but I just can’t see LeBron retiring after next season. He’s still too good of a player to just walk away. Unless there’s a huge drop-off in his production or the Lakers win the championship, I think LeBron is playing in 2026-27.”
In June, James exercised his player option worth $52.6 million to play an additional year with the Lakers.
At the age of 40, he still remains one of the best players in the NBA. Last year, James averaged 24.4 points, 8.2 assists, and 7.8 rebounds per game.
Is LeBron James going to play with both his sons?
In 2024, the NBA world was rocked by Bronny James being drafted by the Lakers to play with his father.
Some heralded the move as a father giving his son a chance. Others criticized it as nepotism at its worst.
Meanwhile, Bryce James is set to begin his first season at the University of Arizona. In January, he committed to Arizona. He completed his high school career at Sierra Canyon in Los Angeles.
Altogether, Bryce averaged eight points and four rebounds a game. Additionally, he averaged 6.9 points, 2.2 rebounds in 14 games on the Nike EYBL circuit.
In 2026, he will be eligible for the NBA Draft. So if it worked for Bronny, why couldn't it work for Bryce?
