“It’s a priority to the Laker brand that he retire a Laker” - Jeanie Buss says LeBron James’ contract extension is a big vote of confidence
Despite an underwhelming campaign in 2022, LeBron James has decided to continue his partnership with the LA Lakers. Earlier this offseason, the All-Star forward agreed to a two-year, $97.1 million extension. The deal keeps him with the Lakers for at least the next two seasons.
LeBron James has agreed to a two-year, $97.1M extension, including a player option for the 2024-2025 season, per @wojespn https://t.co/f6AmRNEOre
Since joining the Lakers in 2018, it has been a mixed journey for LeBron. He secured his fourth title in 2020, but has had minimal playoff success outside of that. Last season, LA failed to even secure a spot in the play-in tournament.
Lakers owner Jeanie Buss was recently a guest on the "The Athletic NBA Show" podcast. During the appearance, she discussed LeBron agreeing to an extension this summer. From her perspective, this move was a huge vote of confidence.
"It is a big vote of confidence when LeBron James signs a two-year extension when he had many months to do so.
"It was a priority to us, It's a priority to the Laker brand that he retire a Laker. We will probably enjoy watching him as he approaches becoming the all-time leading scorer in history."
After a long and historic career, the Lakers star is within reach of history. LeBron currently sits just 1,325 points behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA's all-time leading scorer.
The Lakers should not get comfortable following LeBron James' extension
Despite agreeing to an extension, the LA Lakers should not get too comfortable when it comes to the LeBron James situation. Especially considering he could become a free agent a year early with his final year being a player option.
At this stage in his career, the four-time MVP wants to compete for championships. Signing a short-term deal puts pressure on the organization to go all in if they want to keep his services. We saw a similar type of move during LeBron's second stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Another reason why the Lakers shouldn't feel comfortable is because LeBron James' sons are on the brink of being eligible for the NBA Draft. There have been numerous occasions over the past few years where he's opened up on his desire to play alongside them. Ironically enough, his player option lines up perfectly with his oldest son Bronny's potential first year in the league.
LeBron tells @SInow he wants to play with Bronny AND Bryce 🤯
“I’d definitely be looking at who got first-round picks in 2024, 2025, things of that nature; 2026, ’27. I pay attention to that type of stuff.” https://t.co/clD3sLPwUI
The Lakers can let out a sigh of relief following this extension, but their work is far from over. If they want to keep LeBron, the organization needs to do everything it can to get back on track as soon as possible.