"This is uncharted territory for us" - Rich Paul addresses speculation on LeBron James potentially prolonging Lakers career post Luka Doncic deal
With Luka Doncic's arrival to the LA Lakers, there has been speculation that LeBron James could extend his career. James could hold off his retirement since this is the only time he will play with a generational talent in his prime. During the 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend, his agent, Rich Paul, addressed the rumors.
Paul asserts he has not been informed about the Lakers star's intentions. He mentioned that with Doncic in the mix now, he and his client are facing a new scenario. He appeared as a guest on Gilbert Arenas's live show "Gil's Arena" and shared his insights.
"This is uncharted territory for us, there's never been somebody this late in their career, playing at this level to even be -- to have that decision to be made," Paul said (37:10).
"So, that's tough," he added. "I just think, if I was in the organization's position, there has to be a balance in act. From a biased perspective, you want somebody to go all in but you have to do that with restraint a lot of times because you're tying to do for the now and the later again... We've seen the things not pan out but we'll see."
LeBron James hasn't addressed prolonging his career since the Lakers acquired Luka Doncic. However, the four-time champion is still going strong in year 22 and has remained at the top of his game.
This season, the 6-foot-9 forward averages 24.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 9.0 assists on 39.5 percent shooting from deep.
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LeBron James says playing with Doncic has given him energy
LeBron James has the chance to play with Luka Doncic after the LA Lakers traded Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks. Although he's only played with him two games since the Slovenian star became available, he said it's already given him energy.
When asked if he has considered extending his career to play more games with Doncic, King James said he hasn't given it much thought.
"I have not given it that type of thought," James said. "Just the excitement of being able to add a caliber player like that, a generational talent like that to our franchise, it's something that's given me energy. I'm looking forward to seeing what we can do. ... I think we could be really good going down the stretch. But we'll see what happens."
While James has not addressed his future, it will allow Doncic to spend more time and learn from the future Hall of Famer.
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