Latest Report Offers New Clarity on LeBron James' Retirement Decision
LeBron James, a 41-year-old NBA veteran, is wrapping up his 23rd professional season.
Rumors regarding James’ possible NBA retirement have swirled for years. But as the 2025-26 season comes to a close, the likelihood of the four-time NBA champion hanging it up seems well within the realm of possibilty.
There’s been speculation claiming James wants a retirement tour - a notion that many have cited as a reason this season won’t be his last. But according to a report from NBA insiders Dan Woike and Sam Amick of The Athletic, The King doesn’t want a retirement tour.
“Team and league sources granted anonymity to speak openly say James has made no decisions regarding his future; that retirement remains a real possibility,” the report reads. “The notion that James would want a farewell tour - long cited as evidence that this season was not his last - is false, those sources said, with several sources even hearing that directly from James himself.
“The hypothetical tour, like so many other things dealing with James, is something people believed he'd want. Just like they believed he'd be unable to meld his style around the Lakers' guards or stomach the organization prioritizing its future around younger stars.”
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James is set to shoulder a heavy load as the Lakers enter their first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets. Los Angeles will be without both Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, who both suffered regular-season ending injuries during an April 2 loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Doncic is recovering from a Grade 2 hamstring strain, and Reaves is working through a Grade 2 oblique strain. Both of these players - the Lakers’ top two scorers - could miss the team’s entire first-round series against Houston.
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Game 1 of the Lakers-Rockets series will tipoff at 8:30 p.m. ET on Saturday.
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This story was originally published April 17, 2026 at 12:25 PM.