LeBron James' basketball future beyond Lakers' upcoming season could have long runway, intel suggests

LeBron James will have a career in professional basketball as long as he wants it. From a playing standpoint, James will have to be up for the challenge of staying in shape, and if that's the case his future could have a long runway, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst.

There's been radio silence from James and agent Rich Paul since the four-time NBA Finals MVP picked up his $52.6 million player option to remain with the Lakers for an eighth season in July. James opted not to clear the air amid franchise rumors and declined an on-camera interview during summer league a few weeks after that and has been mum on the upcoming campaign since.

For the first time in his career, James will take the court for training camp later this month without a player option or a contract for the following season. It's likely James will enter unrestricted free agency next summer since he's not eligible to extend his current deal and has a no-trade clause within it.

The Lakers signed Luka Dončić to a long-term extension and added various pieces this offseason, but elected not to invest in James past this season.

"Rich Paul told me they didn't have materialize conversations with the Lakers about a new contract," Windhorst said Tuesday on "The Hoops Collective" podcast. "That can be a statement that can be taken a bunch of different ways. Maybe they knew what they were going to get, maybe they expected the Lakers to offer, but it wasn't like LeBron asked for a new deal and the Lakers said no. That's sort of the backstory of their offseason."

James has hinted at retirement in recent months and will be finishing up his 23rd NBA season with the 2025-26 campaign. Windhorst doesn't believe James is ready to step off the court, however, pointing to his 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.4 assists per game averages at 40 last season.

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"I can't speak to where (LeBron's) at spiritually about wanting to play longer, but what I can tell you is his play on the court is not indicating somebody who's near retirement," Windhorst said. "Now, he's got to want to do it. He's got to put his body through it. All of that stuff. I keep hearing people saying this might be the last year, but look, he's been linked to potentially playing in other leagues, but if he stays healthy, I do not see LeBron James slowing down. Maybe he's tired of doing it, but I do not see LeBron James slowing down that much."

James said in December he feels he could play at a "high level" for another "five to seven years", but that's not part of his plan. The link to "other leagues," as Windhorst mentioned for clarity, points to the idea of an international basketball league headed up by James' business partner, Maverick Carter.

According to Bloomberg, Carter is an advisor to a group of investors looking to generate $5 billion from private capital sources to create a league of six men's and six women's basketball teams that will tour around the globe across different cities to play.

This isn't the first time James has been linked to basketball's pending global expansion, whether that's in an investor, leadership or player-type role. James and Carter reportedly met in July with Miško Ražnatović, a well-known international agent whose company, BeoBasket, represents a number of top players in Europe. 

BeoBasket holds a stateside partnership with Excel Sports, who represents Nikola Jokić. The three-time MVP is waiting until 2026 to negotiate his next deal with the Denver Nuggets. Ben Horney, Daniel Roberts and Alex Schiffer of Front Office Sports later confirmed the meeting between James, Carter and Ražnatović centered around international dealings and had nothing to do with Jokić or the NBA.

As Windhorst suggests, James is going to have options in 2026 to continue his professional basketball career, whether that's competing for another NBA title outside of Los Angeles or potentially going global.