LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers have agreed to a two-year, $530 million contract deal.
LeBron James has officially announced his return to the NBA for a record-tying 22nd season. As a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, the league’s all-time leading scorer may play alongside his son Bronny.
According to a person with knowledge of the negotiations, James has agreed to a two-year contract to stay with the Lakers, which was announced on Wednesday. The source, who spoke to The Associated Press under condition of anonymity because the agreement had not been made public, said that James may choose to exercise his option in the second year of the contract, which would leave him open to free agency once more the following summer.
According to ESPN, the Lakers and James’ agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, CEO, may have decided on a pay that is somewhat below what James might have earned. This could prevent the team from winning the second round and maintain some flexibility in the squad going ahead. In any case, it is anticipated that James will earn over $50 million this upcoming season, give or take a little amount, bringing his career on-court earnings to approximately $530 million and making him the first player in NBA history to surpass the $500 million threshold.
James will tie Vince Carter for the league record in his 22nd NBA season. The Lakers are poised to have the first father-son on-court tandem in NBA history after drafting Bronny James in the second round of the draft last week.
One logistical obstacle has been overcome: LeBron James needed a new contract in place before he could practice with USA Basketball this weekend in Las Vegas, where the team will begin training for the Olympics in Paris. James, who last competed in the Olympics in 2012 when he helped the United States win gold, will be participating in his fourth Olympics. He is the oldest player still playing in the league, having turned 40 in December. He averaged 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 8.3 assists last season.
In addition to having the most points (40,474) in history, James is fourth in assists (11,009), sixth in games played (1,492), and eighth in steals (2,275) and 3-pointers made (2,410). Both his 20 All-Star choices and his 20 All-NBA team appearances set records. He is the oldest player to be selected to an All-NBA team and the youngest player to do so.
When James was selected for the 2004–05 All-NBA team, he became the youngest player to do so. He became the first player in the history of the All-NBA campaign to be 39 years of age or older this past season. Tim Duncan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar were just a few days away from turning 39 when their respective regular seasons came to a conclusion, culminating in their All-NBA campaigns (Duncan’s in 2014–15, Abdul-Jabbar’s in 1985–86). This past season, James participated in 71 games; the final 42 came after he turned 39.