“Cares about narratives” – NBA executives reveal LeBron James’ elaborate retirement plans ahead of 2025-2026 season
The 2025-2026 season is about to kick off. Amidst the various predictions regarding the upcoming performances and matches, a rumour surfaced. It was about the NBA Icon LeBron James hanging up his boots. As he enters the final year of his contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, speculation about his retirement plans has begun to surface. According to NBA executives, James does not want to go out like Michael Jordan. Instead, it is the narratives that James cared about and wanted a retirement tour like Kobe Bryant’s.
How does LeBron James want to retire?
Yaron Weitzman of the Bleacher Report spoke to several NBA executives. According to his report, LeBron James does not want a silent farewell like Michael Jordan had with the Washington Wizards. James instead wants something on the lines of what Kobe Bryant got during his retirement tour. As per the report by Yaron, one of the NBA executives stated, “LeBron cares about narratives. He doesn’t want to be like Michael Jordan on the Wizards.“After having multiple interactions with different sources from within the NBA, Yaron concluded that if James wanted to retire, he would do it in an elaborate way like Kobe. Kobe had announced way back that 2015-2016 would be his last season. This provided sufficient opportunities for the teams he played against for the final time to honor his legacy. Focusing on the past instances with James, one of the executives stated, “The problem is that he’s put himself in a situation where it’s impossible for him to get everything he wants. He has no leverage here, and he’s not used to that.”
Is LeBron James retiring with the Los Angeles Lakers?
According to the same report by Yaron Weitzman, LeBron James definitely wanted a contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers. However, it did not pan out accordingly earlier this year. Consequently, James had to pick up his $52.6 million player option. One of the NBA sources stated, “He obviously wanted an extension, and it’s also clear that the Lakers wouldn’t give it to him.”Seems like the Lakers have decided to let James choose his own path now. In a recent press meet, Rob Pelinka, the General Manager of the Lakers, stated, “The first thing we want to do in terms of LeBron and his future is just give him absolute respect to choose his story with his family in terms of how many years he’s going to continue to play. He’s earned that right, and he’s the best one to talk about that.”
Towards the end, Pelinka added, “We would love if LeBron’s story would be to retire as a Laker. That would be a positive story.”With all of these statements doing the rounds, James is yet to reveal his decision. For now, several teams can be the perfect landing spot for the legend. But the NBA executives believe that it might be the Cleveland Cavaliers who might end up having LeBron James in his final year.Also Read: Does Tyrese Haliburton’s family have a problem with Jade Jones? NBA star opens up on early challenges between fiancée and mother