Pelinka: ‘We’d love’ if LeBron retired with Lakers

Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka addressed LeBron James’ future, reiterating that he hopes the NBA’s all-time scoring leader remains with the franchise for the rest of his legendary career.

“We would love if LeBron’s story would be to retire as a Laker,” Pelinka told reporters Thursday.

James, 40, has one year left on his contract with the Lakers after exercising his option ahead of his 23rd NBA season. It’s unclear how many more years he’ll play in the Association.

James’ agent, Rich Paul, said in June – roughly two months after L.A. was eliminated from the first round of the playoffs – that James would consider the best opportunity to compete for another championship while the Lakers focus on building a team for the future around Luka Doncic.

Pelinka said Thursday that constructing around both James and Doncic was a priority this offseason.

“We were very intentional this summer in terms of the pieces we’ve added with Luka and LeBron – once LeBron opted in – making sure that they had the necessary pieces around them to be in a really competitive, strong team. And we built into that, for that,” Pelinka said.

The Lakers made a shocking trade for Doncic midway through last season. Los Angeles addressed some of its bigger needs in 2025 by signing center Deandre Ayton, forward Jake LaRavia, and guard Marcus Smart, the 2022 NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

James, a four-time NBA MVP, averaged 24.4 points, 8.2 assists, and 7.8 rebounds per game across 70 appearances in 2024-25.

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