Savannah James is urging LeBron to retire.
The Lakers superstar exercised his $52.6 million option for 2025-26, bypassing free agency to return to Los Angeles for his 23rd NBA season.
The 2003 No.1 overall pick revealed this during a dinner outing in New York with his wife, Savannah, Miami Heat and former Cleveland Cavaliers big man Kevin Love and his wife, Kate, among others.
One of the dinners guests posted a snippet on Instagram of the conversation where James can be heard saying, “Savannah wants me to f–king retire in the next year or so.”
His agent, Rich Paul, told ESPN that while LeBron “appreciates the partnership” with the Lakers, he “values a realistic chance of winning it all” and will be closely monitoring the team’s offseason moves.
At 40 years old, turning 41 this coming December, James continues to perform at a star level, especially on offense.
James ended year 22 averaging 24.4 points, 8.2 assists, and 7.8 rebounds.
Despite his on-court production, the Lakers were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves, who later reached the Western Conference finals before losing to the eventual champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
Paul offered further insight into the possibility of retirement, which will continue to hang over James every season now that he’s in his 40s.
“We want to evaluate what’s best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career,” Paul told ESPN. “He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what’s best for him.”
The Lakers, who made the major deal with the Mavericks for Luka Dončić this past season, are still attempting to compete in the West, but it’s unclear if they’ll be championship-level good for this coming year.
