LeBron James

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LeBron James won't ask for trade or be traded by Lakers, agent says​

LeBron James will remain with the Los Angeles Lakers, agent Rich Paul made clear to ESPN on Friday. "LeBron won't be traded, and we aren't asking to be," Paul said in reaction to some growing speculation about James' future ahead of next week's trade deadline. James might have contributed to the swirl by putting an hourglass on his X account this week after a loss in Atlanta. He hasn't spoken to reporters since to clarify the message, and he missed the Lakers' victory Thursday in Boston with an ankle injury.

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LeBron James mum on player option for 2024-25, hourglass tweet​

Speaking to reporters for the first time since his agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, told ESPN's Brian Windhorst that he would not seek a trade away from the Los Angeles Lakers, LeBron James said he is undecided about the contract decision he will have to make with the franchise this summer. James has a player option on his contract with L.A. for $51.4 million for 2024-25, which would be his 22nd season in the NBA. James sat out the Lakers' 114-105 win over the Boston Celtics on Thursday with a sore left ankle but sounded committed to playing against the Knicks after a four-day layoff. The Lakers are 2-2 on their current six-game road trip, 25-25 overall and No. 9 in the Western Conference. James emphasized the need for the team to develop consistency over the final 2½ months of the regular season.

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Sources: Dubs made bid for LeBron James at trade deadline​

Over a clandestine 24-hour window prior to the trade deadline Thursday that included owner-to-owner conversations, the Golden State Warriors made an unsuccessful bid to convince the Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James to consider a trade to pair him with longtime rival Stephen Curry, sources told ESPN. The Warriors were eager to present a package deal to L.A., but neither the Lakers nor James were willing to explore a potential blockbuster. Even at 39 years old, James is still playing at an All-NBA level that stirred the Warriors' imagination about his ability to extend the window of the franchise's fading dynasty. Armed with the encouragement of Warriors star Draymond Green , Golden State owner Joe Lacob reached out to Lakers owner Jeanie Buss to inquire whether James' apparent public frustration could be interpreted as an opening to discuss a trade, sources said.

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[blackfoot NAP]

lebron james says he hopes to end career as member of lakers
James' immediate challenge in L.A. is assuring that, at 30-26 and currently No. 9 in the Western Conference, the Lakers secure a playoff berth. Beyond that, he reiterated his intention to play for Team USA at the Paris Olympics this summer.

 

[blackfoot NAP]

lakers' lebron james reaches 40,000 career points
LeBron James continues to extend his NBA career to uncharted territory, reaching 40,000 career points Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena. James finished with 26 points, putting his career total at 40,017 career points. James came into the Los Angeles Lakers' game against the Denver Nuggets needing nine points to reach the mark. He got there with a driving layup at the 10:39 mark of the second quarter.

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NBA History - Points Leader
Top-5
No.1: LeBron James - 40,017
No.2: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - 38.387
No.3: Karl Molone - 36,928
No.4: Kobe Bryant - 33,643
No.5: Michael Jordan - 32,292

 

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BUCKETS BY BRON​

Career Points Total | 00,002 | 0ct 29, 2003 @ Sacramento

Everything was ready. The players were on the court, the referees had the ball, and the fans were in their seats. But the start of James' first game was halted because the earlier nationally televised game on ESPN had run long. In those moments of limbo, James sat on the scorer's table and chewed his nails, every eye in Arco Arena on him. The Cavs were in Sacramento for two days before the game, and James had been antsy. That afternoon he had lunch with Moses Malone, who told him stories about his rookie season to help pass the time. "A year ago I was watching this at the start of the season. Now I'm finally here. It's a dream," James said that night. "This will never get old. When it does, that's when I'll stop playing." The nerves never showed. James was under control from the start, moving smoothly. He grabbed a rebound 90 seconds in and ran the offense to set up Ricky Davis for a layup. Then three minutes in, he came off a screen set by Carlos Boozer and had a sliver of an opening along the baseline. Boozer was open rolling away from the screen, but James wanted the shot. He leaned back to create room and took it from a tough angle. The ball ripped through the net. The Cavs' bench roared as James ran past. The rookie would make his first three shots and finish the quarter, his first, with 12 points, two rebounds, two assists and three steals

Career Points Total | 40,002 | March 3, 2024 vs. Denver

With a layup less than two minutes into the second quarter, James became the first player in NBA history to eclipse 40,000 regular-season points. When you add in his 8,023 points in the playoffs (also the most ever), he's approaching a combined 50,000 points for his record-setting NBA career.

 

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$500M is the next milestone for LeBron​

James has made more than $482 million in salary in his career and will become the first player in NBA history to pass the $500 million mark next season, by either opting in to his $51.4 million salary, signing a new contract with the Lakers or, in a less likely scenario, signing with another team. James said Feb.3 that he has not yet made a decision on his player option. He has until June 29 to decide to opt in or become a free agent. Because of the over-38 rule, no team, including the Lakers, can offer James a contract for more than three seasons if he elects to become a free agent. That restriction should not matter; of the past six contracts James has signed, five have been for three years or less.

Those short-term deals have limited the total value of James' recent contracts, meaning a new three-year maximum deal -- either for $162 million with the Lakers or for $157 million with another team -- would represent the largest total contract in James' career, eclipsing the $154 million, four-year deal he signed with the Lakers in 2018. James could follow the path from prior years and sign an even shorter deal with the Lakers. A two-year, $104 million contract with a player option on the second season would allow James to hit free agency again next summer -- perhaps when his son, USC freshmen Bronny James

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Lakers NBA title ring Kobe Bryant gifted to father sells for $927K​

A ring from the Los Angeles Lakers' 2000 NBA title -- gifted from Kobe Bryant to his father, Joe "Jellybean" Bryant -- sold for $927,000, including buyer's premium with collectibles marketplace Goldin, over the weekend. The hotly contested 43-bid auction resulted in the most ever paid for an NBA championship ring. The 2000 championship, Kobe's first of five titles, was the only time he gifted his father with a ring. Goldin noted that it is an identical copy of the one given to Kobe: BRYANT etched on one side, with the same sizing (11½), weight (59.6 grams) and etchings. The ring was originally consigned to Goldin in 2013 by Pam and Joe Bryant and sold for $173,000. For this weekend's sale, the 2013 buyer consigned the ring, which comes with a letter of authenticity from the Bryants. It isn't, however, an overall record paid for a sports championship ring; that still belongs to the $2.09 million netted by Charlie Sheen for Babe Ruth's 1927 World Series title ring.

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