LeBron James has agreed to a two-year, $97.1 million contract extension through the 2024-2025 season with the Los Angeles Lakers, his agent told ESPN and The Athletic.
The league’s maximum agreement includes a player option that will keep the second-best scorer in NBA history with the Lakers after his 40th birthday in December 2024, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul said Wednesday.
James is nearing the final year of his last contract with the Lakers, who in July 2018 signed the four-time NBA most valuable player and four-time league champion. The new deal means the 18-time All-Star contestant will receive $46.7. millions this season.
Barring injury, James is likely to surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and become the most productive NBA player this winter. James and the Lakers also still hope to compete for another title if James and Anthony Davis can return in full health after the injury-plagued 2021-22 season ended without making the playoffs.
James’ new contract coincides with Davis’ latest contract extension with the Lakers, allowing both superstars to leave the Lakers or sign new deals in 2024. James’ return to the Lakers also silences persistent talk about his possible departure as a free agent or in a trade.
James missed a significant portion of the season due to injuries during three of his four years with the Lakers. He was largely healthy in the drawn-out 2019-20 season, when the Lakers won the 17th NBA title in Florida, and in the next two years he was the dominant player of his heyday when he was at full strength.
Despite the fact that the status of his contract caused a lot of off-season conversations, it seemed that James was unlikely to leave the Lakers after spending the last four seasons of his 19-year career at the legendary club. His family settled in Los Angeles, where his son Bronnie, a 17-year-old college basketball prospect, plays at Sierra Canyon High School in Chatsworth.
