Here comes the moment that no one wants. LeBron James is on the verge of ending his NBA career, but don’t worry, the King still has a couple of seasons left. The striker has a guaranteed contract for this season, and next (2024-2025) he will be able to choose whether he wants to continue his career or not.
The big problem for purple gold management comes in 2025-26 when James is out of a contract and doesn’t know if he will retire or continue his career for another year. Therefore, the Lakers are now preparing and evaluating possible candidates to replace James.
The first name that comes to mind as LeBron James’ heir is Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Greek has a guaranteed contract with the Milwaukee Bucks for this season and next. However, in 2025-26, he will be able to decide whether to continue working with the people from Wisconsin or not, and judging by the signs he has filed, he does not intend to marry the franchise for life.
“I don’t want to be on the same team for 20 years and not win another championship,” Giannis said in an interview with The New York Times, in which, in addition to talking about his intentions for the future, he made a statement. A small gripe with his management is that if they don’t get him a competitive team, he’ll be out of Milwaukee faster than they think.
Giannis’ age is a good reason for the Lakers to see him as the heir to “King” LeBron, as he is barely 29 and already has two MVP awards and a championship ring.