Basket Ball

James extends Lakers stay for record 23rd NBA season

LeBron James is set to play in a record 23rd NBA season after his agent said the 40-year-old has exercised an option to extend his contract with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Rich Paul said James, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, was targeting a fifth Championship after activating a $53m (£41m) player option for the 2025-26 season.

“He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all,” he told ESPN.

“We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future. We do want to evaluate what’s best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what’s best for him.”

James currently shares the NBA season record with eight-time All-Star Vince Carter. His tally of 1,562 regular-season appearances is just 50 short of breaking former Boston Celtics star Robert Parish’s NBA record.

In 2023 he broke Lakers icon Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s long-standing points record of 38,387 to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. His current tally stands at 42,184.

James’ NBA career began in 2003 when he was drafted first overall by his hometown team, the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The forward joined the Miami Heat in 2010, winning two titles, before returning to lead Cleveland to their only NBA title with 2016 success.

He has been with the Lakers since 2018 and helped them win the 2020 title, which was also the fourth time James was named NBA Finals MVP.

His 20-year-old son Bronny was drafted by the Lakers in the summer of 2024 and they became the first father-son duo to share the court in an NBA game in October.

(BBC Sport)