With the 2025-26 NBA season just right around the corner, there will be plenty of eyes on LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers this upcoming season. With LeBron James playfully flirting with retirement, we’ll be making our bold predictions for The King for this upcoming Lakers season.
James is about to enter an unprecedented 23rd year in the NBA, and he will turn 41 just a couple of months into the season. Even so, judging by his play from last season, he’s shown no signs of a drop-off in play. James was named to his 21st All-Star selection while making it 22 consecutive seasons, his entire career, of averaging 20+ points per game.
One of the major questions surrounding James is how long can he continue this level of play? Going back to last season, James started to show potential cracks in the armor. He dealt with some injury issues that caused him to miss a total of ten games.
And coming into the 2025-26 season, James is officially out for at least three to four weeks as he deals with sciatica. With that said, let’s move on to our bold predictions for LeBron James as the Lakers tip-off a new season
LeBron James continues his streak of All-Star appearances
There is only one season so far in his career that LeBron James has not been an All-Star, and that was his rookie year in 2003-04. Since then, James has been a staple on the NBA’s All-Star team with a string of 22 consecutive appearances.
There is one thing that could potentially derail James’ quest for another All-Star appearance and that’s injuries. His absence from the Lakers’ preseason lineup is mildly concerning in that his sciatica issue isn’t something that he’s dealt with before.
Although James was named to the All-Star team last season, he chose to sit out the game to prioritize rest for the second half of the Lakers’ season. But with a good portion of the All-Star voting coming from the fan vote, there is no realistic scenario in which James is not named to the midseason showcase. Whether or not he actually plays is another question.
LeBron James puts in another season of averaging 20+ points
During LeBron James’ rookie season with the Cleveland Cavaliers, he came out of the gates averaging 20.9 points. That’s been his lowest points per game average in his career as James has not averaged under 24 a game since then. Before last season, he had not averaged less than 25 points per game since his rookie season.
With Luka Doncic on the team and the continued emergence of Austin Reaves, James does not have to shoulder as much of the offensive load. But even so, he remains one of the most gifted and formidable offensive threats in the league. He’s refined his offensive game to where he really does not have any weaknesses. Even his three-point shot has become an area of strength.
Expect James’ points per game to continue to hover around the 24-25 point mark. It could drop slightly, but will not dip under 20 points.
LeBron James does not retire after the 2025-26 season
Regardless of how the Lakers’ season turns out, the number one question on everybody’s mind is when will LeBron James decide to hang it up. This offseason, James ended up opting in to his contract for 2025-26, ensuring that he will hit unrestricted free agency at the end of the season.
To this point, James has been tight-lipped in terms of laying down a timeline for how long her will potentially play. The main thing he’s said going back to last season is that he knows it’s sooner rather than later. But during Lakers Media Day, James mentioned how it’s his love for the game that keeps him going.
Playing alongside Doncic has the potential to extend James’ career, and regardless of where the Lakers finish at the end of the season and into the playoffs, James will once again find that itch and that love of the game.
