Lakers insider explains why LeBron James should retire with the Lakers for his legacy

While retirement has been a burning topic regarding LeBron James in the last few seasons, the noise has been the loudest in the 2025-26 season. The latest "second decision" ad stunt by the LA Lakers star was also an indication of his own recognition that perhaps it was time for him to retire.

Could this be the last season that James plays in the NBA? We don't know, but Lakers Insider and ESPN's Dave McMenamin highlighted the big indicators that pointed to the Lakers star playing his last season in the NBA.

In his long piece on Friday, the reporter provided a strong argument for LeBron James to retire after playing out his last contract with the purple and gold. According to McMenamin, while James' seven years with the Lakers have seen failures, it had also seen success, including the 2020 championship.

Moreover, some of James' greatest career achievements have come in the Lakers uniform. He became the league's all-time leading scorer and the first ever player to touch the 40K mark. James also became the only player to win an NBA Finals MVP with three different teams.

LeBron James also made another untouchable history. He had long expressed his desire to play with his son, Bronny James. Last season, he and his son became the first father-son duo to ever take the NBA court. Moreover, he also helped the Lakers win the first-ever NBA Cup and was declared the first-ever NBA Cup MVP.

Moreover, even the franchise wanted arguably the greatest player of all time to retire in a Lakers jersey. During the team's media day, Lakers GM Rob Pelinka also shared the same sentiment.

"We would love if LeBron's story would be, he retired a Laker," he said. "That would be a positive story."

Dave McMenamin highlights clues that indicate 2025-26 to be LeBron James' last season

According to the Lakers Insider, from the clues that LeBron James and his partners have thrown around in the last few months, there were strong indicators that pointed to his potential retirement.

According to McMenamin, the voiceover in the Nike "Forever King" ad spoke about the Lakers star's legacy in the past tense, which was different from how ads have represented the 4x NBA champion.

"They called him the Chosen One ... We were all witnesses," one of the lines in the ad said.

Moreover, the Lakers open their season against the Golden State Warriors, featuring Steph Curry, who has been a big part of James' legacy. More notably, LeBron James and the Lakers will face the Warriors in the last game of the season. This schedule will allow him to retire playing against his biggest opponent.

More notably, the Cleveland Cavaliers' "Classic Edition" for this season features the same style that James wore in his rookie season in 2003.