NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!LeBron James exercised his player option for the 2025-26 season with the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday as he appears to be in the final stages of his lengthy NBA career.Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul told ESPN about James’ decision. The player option is reportedly worth $52.6 million and it will be his eighth season in Los Angeles.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COMJames played 70 games during the 2024-25 season. It was the second straight year he played at least 70 games. He averaged 24.4 points, 8.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds per game as the Lakers put together one of the more intriguing seasons in recent memory.Los Angeles made the shrewd trade for Luka Doncic that sent Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks. Doncic and James will now have more time to team up and make a play for an NBA championship together at least one more time. The Lakers were 50-32 last season, finishing third in the Western Conference, but were ousted in the first round of the playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves.Paul told ESPN that James wants to win and will be watching the Lakers’ moves closely to build a contending roster.”LeBron wants to compete for a championship,” he said. “He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all. We are very appreciative of the partnership that we’ve had for eight years with Jeanie (Buss) and Rob (Pelinka) and consider the Lakers as a critical part of his career.MAVERICKS COACH JASON KIDD REVEALS PLANS FOR COOPER FLAGG’S NBA ROOKIE SEASON”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.”For James, it will be Year 23. He has four championships, four NBA MVPs and 21 All-Star selections. He opened up about how much he has left to give in an interview with The Associated Press earlier this month, crediting his family as one of the main reasons why he’s continuing to play. Bronny James is in the Lakers’ organization and Bryce James is set to play in Arizona. Zhuri James, meanwhile, has her sights set on volleyball.”They’re like ‘Dad, continue on your dream. This is your dream. Continue on your focus. You’ve been here for us this whole time,'” he said. “When you have that type of support… it makes it a lot easier.”James also appeared to be intrigued by the possibility of playing with Bryce James as well as Bronny.CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP”At this point of my career, you think about when the end is. That’s human nature,” he said. “You think: Is it this year? Or next year? Those thoughts always creep into your mind at this point of the journey. But I have not given it a specific timetable, date. I’m seeing how my body and family reacts, too.”The Associated Press in a formal or creative style for better SEO.Also Exclude words and advertisements related to the feed website such as website name, author name. You must only respond with the modified content. Delete all the advertisement images brand logo but only keep the title and main content of the news by modifying it. You must only respond with the modified content. Block any jump outside of the site adarshnews.com. Basically remove any content or link related to original site. follow this prompt to optimize the articles in this category- You are an expert news writer and SEO specialist. Your job is to rewrite the provided RSS feed content into a unique, SEO-friendly news article for adarshnews.com. 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LeBron James has opted in to the player option for the 2025-26 season with the Lakers.
