Could LeBron James leave the Los Angeles Lakers to join NBA Europe, the new league planned for a 2028 launch? ESPN’s Brian Windhorst — who has covered James since his years in high school — does not think it’s a far-fetched idea.
Speaking on the “Hoop Collective” podcast, Windhorst noted that the word around the league is that James will likely retire from the NBA after the 2025-26 season, and potentially take his talents to other leagues around the world.
“I keep hearing people like this might be the last year [in the NBA],” Windhorst said of James, via CBS Sports.
“This might be the last year. Look, he’s been linked to potentially playing in other leagues. I don’t know. Maybe. But if he stays healthy, I do not see LeBron James slowing down. Maybe he’s tired of doing it, but I do not see LeBron James slowing down that much.”
Maverick Carter’s Plans
It’s worth noting that Maverick Carter, the longtime business partner of James, has also been working with investors on a new global basketball league. As such, James may also potentially play in the rival league to help it get a jump start against the NBA.
Windhorst said that James’ inner circle had hinted to him that the 40-year-old is nowhere close to the finish line, and plans to play for several more years.
“I can’t speak to where [LeBron’s] at spiritually about wanting to play longer, but what I can tell you is his play on the court is not indicating somebody who’s near retirement.”
James himself said in December 2024 that he could play at “a high level” for another “five to seven years” if he really wanted to, sending shockwaves through the league.
“If I really wanted to, I could probably play this game at a high level probably for about another — it’s weird that I might say this — but probably about another five to seven years, if I wanted to,” he said, via CBS Sports. “But I’m not going to do that.”
NBA Europe Set for 2028 Launch
While addressing the press on September 16, NBA commissioner Adam Silver confirmed that NBA Europe would launch in either 2027 or 2028, with London and Manchester expected to bid for the first two franchises.
“Basketball’s probably the fastest-growing sport in the world right now, and it’s a huge No. 2 sport in Europe behind soccer, so I think there’s a real opportunity,” Silver said, via EuroHoops.net.
“We want to try to model a league after a system we know where it might not be a hard cap system but where you can regulate competition. There’s a sense that if you have a team, your team has a fair chance to win a championship.”
Silver hinted that the league could launch alongside the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
“I think we could start with some of the existing arenas and then transition,” said Silver. “So ‘27 is ambitious, there’s no question about it, but I don’t think I don’t think I’d want to go much longer than ‘28. The opportunity is now to do something like this.”