LeBron James Addresses Whether Luka Doncic Trade May Extend His Career

Time will tell how long Lakers fans will have to enjoy the LeBron–Luka teamup.

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) checks on guard Luka Doncic (77) after he was hit in the face against the Utah Jazz at Crypto.com Arena. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers paired one of the NBA's legendary veterans with one of its brightest young stars after trading for Luka Dončić. LeBron James, who turned 40 in December, admits that the move has imbued him with "energy" as he seeks a fifth NBA championship, and second with the Lakers, but he's not making any promises for how long he plans to play with the 25-year-old Dončić.

James, who is a last-minute scratch from Sunday's All-Star Game, held a media session ahead of the event. When asked whether the Dončić trade will extend his career any further, James would not commit to any sort of timeline.

"We'll see what happens," he said, per Rachel Nichols.

LeBron says having Luka on-board has "given me energy," but as for the idea that a 25-year-old superstar teammate could extend his career even more than he'd thought a couple weeks ago: "we'll see what happens."

— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) February 16, 2025

James, a 21-time All-Star playing in his 22nd NBA season, has realistically accomplished everything an NBA player can dream of, up through this fall, when he and his son Bronny James teamed up for the Los Angeles Lakers.

While the presence of Dončić, who carried the Dallas Mavericks to last year's NBA Finals, likely makes it more realistic that James can win a fifth NBA title, putting him within one championship of Michael Jordan, it sounds like it is too early to tell whether his new superstar teammate will impact his eventual retirement plans.

L.A. is 1–1 since adding Dončić to the lineup, and 32–20 on the season, putting them in fifth-place in the Western Conference.

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