LeBron poised to set $500 million record

LeBron James has etched his name in NBA history in countless ways. He is the player with the most appearances in the All Star Game (20), the all-time top scorer and the first to break the 40,000 point barrier with 40,114 points after adding another 18 to his tally against the Sacramento Kings last night... A series of firsts and, greatness, only within the reach of a one-of-a-kind player who has no end: at 39 years old, he has played a part in 21 seasons in the North American League, and the way it’s looking, it seems he doesn’t want to stop.

LeBron weighing up his options

In the medium term, there is the dream of playing alongside his son Bronny in the NBA. And also the possibility of becoming the first player in the League to exceed $500 million dollars accumulated in contracts signed with various different franchises, apart from advertising, brands, sponsorship deals, producing movies... Right now, the figure stands at 483 million dollars from the contracts he signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers (twice), the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers.

LeBron’s player option for 2024-25

To break past $500 million, LeBron only has to press the button on his player option for $51.4 million to play his seventh consecutive season with the Los Angeles franchise. Since his first stint with Cleveland, James has never spent so much time with the same team.

However, the forward has three other options open to him so that he can boost his bank account continue his career for at least three more years. According to the terms of the agreement, players over 38 years of age cannot sign for longer than three years - not that it matters much because LeBron’s last contracts have been short: a two-year extension in 2020 and a four-year deal in 2018 with the Lakers, plus two with Cleveland in 2014.

On the one hand, he can directly extend his contract with the Lakers until 2027 for $164 million (player option of $51.4m+$53.9m+$58.3m). On the other hand, he can break his agreement with the Angelenos and sign a new agreement with them for $162 million (50m+54m+58m). And finally, the last possibility, search for a new home and pick up $157.5 million (50+52.5+55).

This third option presents a slight problem for James, since only the Lakers can sign an anti-transfer clause for him. It means that the franchise can decide if he goes to another team or not - due to a clause that only players with at least eight seasons in the NBA can have written into their contracts, with four in a row on the same team and whose new agreement is not an extension, It must be a new contract.