“I believe that the 2025-26 season, purely speaking in a predictive voice, will not be LeBron’s last,” Stein wrote. “I repeat: This is something only he can really know and more of a gut-feel read from me rather than reporting, but I fall into the camp that expects him to announce to the world that a certain season will be his last before it starts.”

Stein cautioned that NBA training camps don’t open for another two months, so it is too early to be definitive. That said, he believes that James is not thinking in “one-more-year” terms just yet.

James’ contract in Los Angeles will expire after the 2025-26 season. Stein believes that James will continue his career with a different team after the Lakers.

Stein cited Luka Doncic as one big reason why James may move on from LA.

“I believe that, by saying what I just said in the previous paragraph, it means that I expect him to retire in a uniform that isn’t purple and gold,” Stein continued. “It’s pretty clear at this juncture that the Lakers have launched the Luka Dončić Era. It certainly appears as though they are approaching the 2025-26 season as LeBron’s last in Tinseltown.”

Will LeBron James leave the Lakers after the 2025-26 NBA season?

Stein thinks it is a real possibility.

Stein believes that James will retire before he turns 46, which would ensure that Nat Hickey will remain the oldest player in league history. He also believes that 25 seasons is on the table for James.

However, Stein did caution that it is impossible to be definitive at this point. He suggested that James may not want to move his family to another city at this stage in his career.

” I also have to account for the possibility that I might be underestimating how difficult it could prove for James to switch teams (and cities) one more time after this season given how entrenched he and his family have become in Southern California,” Stein noted.

Perhaps LeBron’s future in the NBA will be determined by how the Lakers perform during the 2025-26 season.