Where will LeBron James go next? NBA star ‘not rushed’ to make a decision

What the report says

Al Jazeera, carrying a Reuters report published July 21, 2026, says LeBron James has not set a timetable for choosing his next NBA team after informing the Los Angeles Lakers he would not return for a record 24th season. His longtime agent, Rich Paul, said on the Game Over podcast with Max Kellerman that James will make the decision on his own schedule and is not seeking additional pitches from interested teams.

The report says Tuesday marked three weeks since Paul notified the Lakers that the 41-year-old forward was entering free agency. ESPN has linked James with several possible destinations, including the Golden State Warriors and Philadelphia 76ers, as well as potential returns to the Miami Heat or Cleveland Cavaliers. James told an audience in New York last week that he would not keep people waiting much longer, but no destination has been announced.

Paul also said he had discussed the matter with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, who had publicly expressed a desire for James to announce his plans so the league could complete its schedule. Paul rejected the idea that the process was being staged for attention, distinguishing it from James’s widely publicized 2010 move from Cleveland to Miami.

James remains one of the league’s most consequential players and a major factor in competitive and commercial planning. Al Jazeera reported that he averaged 20.9 points, 7.2 assists and 6.1 rebounds in 60 games for the Lakers in 2025-26, and that he is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer with career averages of 26.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.4 assists across 1,622 games.