LeBron James Says It’s Not His Job to Convince Luka Doncic to Sign New Lakers Contract
LeBron James says it’s not his job to convince Luka Dončić to sign an extension with the Los Angeles Lakers this summer.
“No, that ain’t my job,” James told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “I think … I don’t think, I know, Luka knows how I feel about him. And ultimately, that trade happened for the future. That’s not for me. Luka has to decide what he has to do with his future. He’s [26] years old, I’m 40, so he can’t be basing his career off me. That’s just real.
“But I hope, obviously, [he stays long term]. Laker fans f—ing love him here. L.A. has accepted him. We love him as a teammate, as a brother. But ultimately, he’s got to make a decision for him. S—, I ain’t going to be around much longer.”
James has yet to make a decision regarding his 2025-26 player option. Dončić, who has his own player option for the 2026-27 season, will be eligible to sign a four-year extension in August.
The Athletic’s Jovan Buha and Sam Amick reported Friday that Dončić is “widely expected” to sign an extension with the Lakers “at some point.”
“According to team sources, the Lakers will be amenable to whatever contract structure Dončić desires,” Buha and Amick wrote.
Dončić could sign a four-year, $229 million extension starting Aug. 2. He could also sign a three-year, $165 million deal and set himself up for a five-year, $418 million contract in 2028, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks.
Should Dončić not sign an extension, the Lakers would still have an advantage over other teams when he becomes a free agent in 2026. The Lakers could ink Dončić to a five-year, $296 million deal, while other teams can’t give him more than a four-year, $219 million contract, per Marks.
But the Lakers could lose a major bargaining chip if James leaves the franchise or retires from the NBA by that point.
James said after the Lakers’ season-ending Game 5 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday that he didn’t “have an answer” as to how much longer he would keep playing.
James, who turned 40 in December, averaged 24.4 points per game in a historically dominant 22nd NBA season. No player has ever returned for a 23rd campaign in the league.
To earn Dončić’s long-term commitment to the franchise amid the uncertain future of the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, general manager Rob Pelinka and the Lakers may need to convince Dončić that the franchise has a long-term plan in place to contend in the post-James era.