The Los Angeles Lakers are expecting LeBron James to return for his 23rd season during the 2025-26 campaign. After a disappointing elimination in the first round of the NBA Playoffs this year, fans cannot wait to get their first full season look at the James and Luka Doncic pairing.
James put together another strong season for the Lakers in 2024-25. He has shown some signs of aging, but continues to play at an elite level.
Throughout the course of the year, James played in 70 games. He averaged 24.4 points per game to go along with 8.2 assists, 7.8 rebounds, and a steal, while shooting 51.3 percent from the floor and 37.6 percent from three-point range.
When the 2025-26 season starts, assuming James does return and play for Los Angeles, he will make major NBA history.
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As shared by Legion Hoops on X, James will become the first player ever to play 23 seasons in the NBA.
Rob Pelinka and the Lakers enter an important offseason. With James winding down the remainder of his career, it is clear that the team badly needs more help around the superstar duo.
In the playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles struggled mightily on the defensive side of the court and at the center position. During the offseason, Pelinka will need to figure out how to add to both areas, which may need creativity with the Lakers’ financial situation.
Austin Reaves, the team’s rising star guard, has been mentioned in a lot of trade rumors. Los Angeles would like to keep him, but the team has to figure out how to add pieces if it wants to compete for a championship with James and Doncic leading the way.
Read more: Former Lakers Champion Criticizes LeBron James, Luka Doncic Pairing
Former Lakers’ champion guard Danny Green spoke out recently about the James and Doncic duo. He does not envision a championship coming to Los Angeles with the two superstars leading the way.
“I think they’re explosive offensively. I think they lack a lot defensively,” he said. “I don’t know how many years he (James) has left longer, and it’s think it’s just really hard to win a championship when your best player is 40 years old… Next year, LeBron is going to be 41….He can still average 30, 20-something, but I just don’t see them winning a championship with that formula right now.”
No matter what the 2025-26 NBA season has in store for the Lakers, James will take hold of another big-time record assuming he does return for another year.
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