Basketball legend LeBron James has officially decided to stay with the Los Angeles Lakers for another season. Despite talk that he might retire or leave the team, he has chosen to use his $52.6 million player option for the 2025–26 NBA season.

This move means the 40-year-old will continue playing in the NBA for at least one more year. Fans can still watch him in action at the top level of basketball.

After the 2025–26 season, LeBron will become a free agent and can choose to join another team or retire. He will be 41 years old by then.

Because of LeBron’s large contract, the Lakers only have about $6 million left to sign new players or make other changes this offseason, according to ESPN.

LeBron’s agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, said that LeBron knows the Lakers are planning for the future but still wants a real chance to win another championship. He also shared that LeBron appreciates the strong relationship he has had with the Lakers for the past eight years.

LeBron joined the Lakers in 2018 and helped the team win a championship that same year. Recently, the team hired his close friend JJ Redick as their new coach and also drafted his son, Bronny James, to play for them.

There’s a chance that LeBron might retire after this coming season. If he chooses to keep playing beyond that, he may have to take a much lower salary.

Even though he’s getting older, LeBron still had a strong performance last season—scoring an average of 24.4 points, grabbing 7.8 rebounds, and making 8.2 assists per game. His stats have dropped a bit, but he remains one of the best in the league.