LeBron James has been a pillar of the NBA for over two decades, and the idea of retirement is inevitably coming into focus.
The basketball legend was drafted No. 1 overall by Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003. He joined the Miami Heat in 2010 before returning to the Cavaliers in 2014, helping the franchise win its first-ever NBA Championship in 2016. James moved to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018.
James — who has been married to Savannah James since 2013 — has a lot to look forward to whenever he decides to officially hang up his jersey. The future Hall of Famer and his wife share sons Bronny, 21, and Bryce, 18, and daughter Zhuri, 11.
In October 2024, LeBron and Bronny became the first father-son duo to play together in NBA history when they both suited up for the Lakers.
“For a father, it means everything,” LeBron said after the game. “For someone who didn’t have that growing up, to be able to have that influence on your kids and have influence on your son. Be able to have moments with your son. And ultimately, to be able to work with your son. I think that’s one of the greatest things that a father can ever hope for or wish for.”
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Scroll down for LeBron’s most candid quotes about retiring from the NBA:
May 2023
After the Lakers lost to the Denver Nuggets in the 2023 West Conference Finals, LeBron told reporters during a press conference that he hadn’t “begun to even think about next year” when asked about the possibility of retiring.
“We had a great run, but we fell short of our goal and our goal is to win championships,” he said. “That’s what this franchise is about, so that’s disappointing.”
He continued: “I don’t like to say it was a successful year because I don’t play for anything besides winning championships at this point in my career. I don’t get a kick out of making a conference appearance. I’ve done it a lot. It’s not fun [for] me to not be able to get to the finals.”
LeBron hinted that his athletic future was up in the air. “We’ll see what happens going forward, but I don’t know,” he added. “I’ve got a lot to think about, to be honest. Just personally, with me moving forward with the game of basketball, I got a lot to think about.”
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May 2023
When responding to a fan page’s tribute to his career, LeBron shared a cryptic post stating the world should “appreciate him while he’s still here,” adding that “more greatness” was “on the way.”
He shared the same post via his Instagram Story, adding some lyrics to Jay-Z’s “What More Can I Say”: “I supposed to be number one on everybody’s list. We’ll see what happens when I no longer exist.”
The message prompted fans to believe that retirement was — at the very least — on LeBron’s mind.
July 2023
At the 2023 ESPYs, LeBron received an award for surpassing the NBA’s highest-scoring record. (He scored 28.9 points per game throughout the season, with an average of 8.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists.)
During his speech, he spoke about the rumors of his retirement from the game.
“I don’t care how many more points, or what I can or cannot do on the floor,” LeBron said. “The real question for me is, ‘Can I play without cheating this game?’ The day I can’t give everything on the floor is the day I’ll be done. Lucky for you guys, that day is not today.”
February 2024
Despite reports that the Golden State Warriors inquired about making a trade for LeBron at the league’s deadline, LeBron insisted at an All-Star Game press conference that he wanted to end his career with the Lakers.
LeBron stated, “I have not mapped out how many seasons I have left,” adding, “I know it’s not that many. … I am a Laker and I’m happy and [have] been very happy being a Laker the last six years and hopefully it stays that way. But I don’t have the answer to how long it is or which uniform I’ll be in. Hopefully [it] is with the Lakers. It’s a great organization, so many greats. But we’ll see.”
April 2025
Following a shocking first-round playoff exit at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves, James expressed uncertainty about his future.
When asked about how much longer he envisions himself playing after the team’s Game 5 loss, James said, “I don’t know.”
“I don’t have an answer to that,” he told reporters. “Something I’ll sit down with my family, my wife and my support group and kind of just talk through it and see what happens. And just have a conversation with myself on how long I want to continue to play. I don’t know the answer to that right now, to be honest. So we’ll see.”
When asked what he thinks the Lakers need to improve in the offseason, James was similarly ominous.
”It’s a business,” he said. “So you don’t know what the roster will look like next year besides the guys that [are] locked into contracts. S***, I got a lot to think about myself. So I don’t know what the roster will look like. I don’t know where I stand right now.”
June 2025
On June 29, ESPN Senior NBA Insider Shams Charania announced James elected to opt in to his $52.6 million contract extension ahead of the 2025-26 NBA season.
“Breaking: Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James is opting into his $52.6 million player option for the 2025-26 season, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul told ESPN,” Charania wrote on X.
Paul added, “LeBron ‘knows the Lakers are building for the future … but he values a realistic chance of winning it all.’”
Paul and James have worked together since they were first introduced in 2003.
May 2026
After the Lakers were swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round of the NBA Playoffs, James looked ahead with uncertainty.
“I think you guys asked me about [retirement], and I’ve answered questions,” he told reporters. “I don’t think I’ve come out and been like, ‘Oh, retirement is coming.’ With my future, I don’t know, honestly. … Obviously it’s still fresh from, obviously, losing [the series]. And I don’t know. I don’t know what the future holds for me.”
James said he wanted to “recalibrate with my family and talk with them, and spend some time with them” before making any kind of decision.
“I think for me it’s about the process,” he explained. “If I can commit to still being in love with the process of showing up to the arena five-and-a-half hours before a game to start preparing for a game, giving everything I got, diving for loose balls and doing everything that you know that it takes to go out and play.”
