LeBron James has consented to a two-year, $104 million maximum contract to rejoin the Los Angeles Lakers, as reported on Wednesday morning by Shams Charania of The Athletic.
This arrangement will remunerate James with the highest permissible salary for the 2024-25 season and incorporates a player option for the 2025-26 season, thereby endowing James with agency over his future trajectory. Additionally, the contract is fortified with a no-trade clause.
James’ agreement came merely a day subsequent to the Lakers securing his son Bronny with a guaranteed rookie contract. The Lakers exercised their second-round draft selection (No. 55) to enlist Bronny in the 2024 NBA draft last week. James’ return to the Lakers affords him the prospect of playing alongside Bronny, potentially inaugurating the first father-son tandem in NBA history.
Turning 40 on December 30, James is widely acclaimed as one of the preeminent basketball players ever. He exhibited no discernible decline in prowess last season, averaging 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 8.3 assists across 35 minutes per game during the 2023-2024 season.
James piloted the Lakers to the NBA championship in 2020, marking his fourth overall title. However, the team has not reached the NBA Finals since. They faced elimination in the first round in 2021 and failed to make the playoffs in 2022. In 2023, they advanced to the Western Conference finals but were vanquished by the eventual champions, the Denver Nuggets. The 2024 season saw them ousted in the first round by the Nuggets in a five-game series.
