LeBron James Says New $101 Million Lakers Contract Could Be His Last NBA Deal

LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers during game four of the Western Conference First Round Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Calif., on April 27, 2024. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Los Angeles Lakers star forward LeBron James has said that his newly signed contract with the franchise could “easily” be the last NBA deal he'll ever sign.

The 39-year-old Ohio native commented on the matter during an interview with ESPN’s Dave McMenamin on July 8, where they discussed the two-year contract and what he expects from his eldest son, Bronny James, joining him in the league.

“I‘d never sit up here and say, ’Oh, maybe not.‘ Yeah, it could be. Easily. But we’ll see what happens,” James said when asked whether the $101.35 million Lakers contract could be the last he'll ever sign as an NBA player.

His remarks were made a day after the Lakers made it official that the NBA’s all-time highest scorer agreed to stay with the franchise for two more seasons, meaning James will take the floor for the Lakers until he is 41 years old if he plays out the full length of the contract, according to a statement published on the Lakers’ website on July 7.

The expectation is that the NBA superstar will make around $50 million—give or take a little bit—this coming season, pushing his career on-court earnings to around $530 million and making him the first player in NBA history to eclipse the $500 million mark.

Father-Son Duo

Bronny, 19, was selected by the Lakers in the second round with the 55th overall pick of the 2024 NBA Draft, fulfilling his father’s biggest dream of playing on the same team as his son.

Last week, the Lakers officially signed the rookie player to his first NBA contract. It is a fully guaranteed four-year deal, the last of those years at the Lakers’ option, worth $7.9 million—with about $1.2 million as his rookie year salary.

James told reporters in Las Vegas on July 7 as Team USA Basketball prepares for the 2024 Olympics in Paris that Bronny being drafted by the Lakers is “a dream come true.”

“For me, just being able to see my son be in the NBA alone is great. It’s always been a dream of his. For us to be side-by-side ... I mean, the kid has worked so hard to get back to this point, so much has happened over the last year with him,” James said.

“To have this happen less than a year from his incident ...I’m looking forward to seeing his progression and him continuing to get better and better as he grows as a young man,” he added.

Bronny James #6 of the West team talks to his father, Lebron James of the Los Angeles Lakers, after the 2023 McDonald's High School Boys All-American Game at Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, on March 28, 2023. (Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty Images)

On July 24, 2023, Bronny suffered a cardiac arrest while preparing for his freshman season at the University of Southern California (USC) basketball team. Four months after the young James’ health scare, he was medically cleared to make a full return to basketball.

James and Bronny will make history as the first father-son duo who’ve played in the NBA at the same time, let alone on the same team.

As the oldest active player in the league, James averaged 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 8.3 assists last season. Not only is he the all-time leader in points (40,474), but he’s fourth in assists (11,009), sixth in games played (1,492), and eighth in both 3-pointers made (2,410) and steals (2,275).

His 20 All-Star selections are a record, as are his 20 appearances on the All-NBA team. He holds the records for being both the youngest and oldest player to make an All-NBA squad.

James became the youngest player to make the All-NBA team when he was voted onto the team for the 2004-2005 season. This past season, he became the first player to be 39 or older in what became an All-NBA campaign.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

From NTD News