LeBron James is making it official: He’ll be returning for a 22nd NBA season, one in which the league’s all-time leading scorer could share the court with his son Bronny as teammates on the Los Angeles Lakers.
James has agreed to a two-year contract to remain with the Lakers, a person familiar with the negotiations said Wednesday. The second year of the deal is optional for James and means he could become a free agent again next summer, said the person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal has not been announced publicly.
ESPN reported that the Lakers and James’ agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, could come to an agreement on a salary slightly lower than the maximum James could have earned, a move that could keep the team from reaching the second apron and preserve some roster flexibility going forward.
Either way, the expectation is that James will make around $50 million or so next season, raising his on-court earnings to around $530 million and making him the first player in NBA history to eclipse the $500 million mark.
It will be James’ 22nd NBA season, tying Vince Carter for the league record. The Lakers selected Bronny James last week in the second round of the draft, putting them in position to have the first father-son duo on the court in NBA history.
The deal clears a logistical hurdle: LeBron James needed a new deal before he could play with USA Basketball for the start of its training camp in Las Vegas this weekend, where the team will begin preparations for the Paris Olympics. James will be playing in the Olympics for the fourth time, his first since helping the U.S. win gold at the 2012 London Games.
He turns 40 in December and averaged 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 8.3 assists last season, making him the oldest active player in the league.
James is not only the all-time leader in points (40,474), but is also fourth in assists (11,009), sixth in games played (1,492) and eighth in three-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 record for being both the youngest and oldest player to make an All-NBA team.
James became the youngest player ever to be named All-NBA when he was selected to the team for the 2004-05 season. Last season, he became the first player age 39 or older to have what became an All-NBA campaign.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Tim Duncan were both days shy of turning 39 when the regular seasons of what became their final All-NBA campaigns — Abdul-Jabbar’s in 1985-86 and Duncan’s in 2014-15 — ended. James played in 71 games last season, the final 42 of them after turning 39.
Source: AP
