LeBron James signs contract extension with Los Angeles Lakers

LeBron James will be with the Los Angeles Lakers for at least two more years, inking an extension with the franchise for two years and $97.1 million, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

James, who turns 38 this December, was set to enter this season in the final year of a deal, earning $44.5 million.

The extension includes a player option for the 2024-25 season  more on that in a minute  and allows the contract to raise to $111 million should the salary cap make a jump in 2023-24. James played in 56 games this past season, averaging 30.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game as the Lakers went 33-49 and missed the playoffs.

James’ points-per-game average marked the second-highest scoring mark of his career as he transitioned into more of a volume shooter from the outside, setting career-highs in 3-point attempts and 3-point attempts per game (8.0) while making 35.9% of his shots from deep.

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The other interesting part of the contract is the timing, and where it puts LeBron in relation to his son, Bronny James. The No. 8 shooting guard and No. 49 overall player in the 2023 class, Bronny is a four-star prospect. And LeBron has said on record that he would like to play with his son, who is about to enter his senior season at Los Angeles (Calif.) Sierra Canyon High School.