Fresh off of stamping his dominance on the court with a historical 40,000 points milestone, LeBron James is eyeing up another record for the history books. When an 18-year-old boy from Akron burst out into the NBA scene in 2003, not many expected the greatness that would follow the number 1 draft pick.
Surely he was a generational talent but in the past 21 years, he has punched over his weight and done some more to firmly place himself in the GOAT debate. As if his alienesque talent wasn’t enough, the 39-year-old is looking to crush all GOAT debates in terms of a payday as well with his next contract move.
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LeBron is predicted to make history with his next contract decision
When LeBron James penned his Lakers contract extension in 2022, a player option was inserted in the maximum veteran contract of $99 million. Now, after two more seasons in L.A., LBJ is at a decision point to create major NBA history with his next move. If LeBron chooses to continue wearing the famed purple and gold jersey, he will activate that player option, which will earn him approximately $51 million in the 2024–25 season.
This will place his name on an exclusive list that will only consist of him, as he will become the only player to earn $500 million in an NBA career through contracts. $51,415,938 will take his total career earnings to $530,882,395 from $479,466,457, according to Spotrac.
Though he has also been involved in a trade away from the Lakers in past seasons, it will remain the same next summer. LeBron, on record, went on to voice his desire to play alongside his son Bronny James, who will reportedly not be a part of the 2024 NBA draft. The most appropriate course of action in that case would be for LeBron to stay with the Lakers for another season and then move out according to his son’s draft result but the Kings do not think of him as a regular. So now, only time will tell if he can solidify his Lakers legacy even further than that or not.
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LeBron is allegedly “rental” to the Lakers
Despite LeBron’s glittering Lakers portfolio, not everyone thinks the same about his undeniable greatness. While speaking to Shannon Sharpe on the ‘Nightcap’ podcast, Gilbert Arenas took a dig at LeBron James and shared his views on why he thinks the NBA great is not worthy of a statue with the Lakers.
The 42-year-old did not stop there. He went on to state, “LeBron was a rental for the Lakers’ greatness, and that’s just something he’s gonna have to accept.” This is the same LeBron James who has crossed 40,000 career points, which is the most in NBA history. Justifying his opinion, the former point guard said, “His [scoring] milestones came in this uniform… but the legacy wasn’t built here.” According to Arenas, LeBron does not have enough accolades in the purple and gold colors that will make him a statue-worthy franchise legend like Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson.
LeBron bagged a championship title with the franchise in 2020, along with the Finals MVP, and appeared in all the All-Star games since his arrival with the LA Lakers, along with the records he has set and broken.
Despite having a shorter legacy in the Los Angeles franchise, there remains little doubt about LeBron’s Lakers legacy. Maybe with one more championship, his impact on the Lakers would resonate with the likes of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal and Wilt Chamberlain.
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