The Los Angeles Lakers and superstar LeBron James agreed to a two-year , $85 million contract extension. The deal was confirmed by James’ agency Klutch Sports Group on Wednesday.
James, who previously had one year, $39.2 million left on his deal, will now remain with the franchise at least through 2022/23 NBA season.
James helped the Lakers to an NBA title last season, capturing his fourth ring in the process. He led the league in assists with 10.2 average during the regular season, while adding 25.3 points and 7.8 rebounds.
During the postseason, the 35-year-old James took it up a notch, scoring 27.6 points per game. His playoffs excellence resulted in the NBA Finals MVP award, which made him the only player in the history of the league to get this achievement with three different franchises. He previously won the award with the Miami Heat twice and once with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
By agreeing to stay with the Los Angeles Lakers for three more years, LeBron James has put himself in a position to add to his NBA Title count and get closer to Michael Jordan in the “greatest of all time” conversation. Lakers are favorites to repeat in 2020/21, having reportedly locked All-Star Anthony Davis to a long-term deal while adding several intriguing pieces to their roster, including Dennis Schroeder, Marc Gasol, and Montrezl Harrell.
If he maintains the level of play from previous seasons, James will also have a chance to get on top of most of the NBA’s all-time lists.
He already ranks No. 1 in scoring and steals in the playoffs while also having a realistic chance to catch Magic Johnson in the assists category.
In the regular-season rankings, James is currently third in scoring with 34,241 points, trailing Karl Malone (36,928) and the Lakers’ legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387). He would need to average at least 25.0 points per game in the next three years to emerge on top.
James can also get in the top five on the all-time assists leaders list and in the top 10 in the all-time steals leaders list before he wraps up his playing career.
