LeBron, Giannis, Jokić All Weigh In on Contract Situations

LeBron James’s expiring contract won’t be an issue for him or the Lakers this season, according to LeBron James.

The Lakers star met with reporters at the team’s media day Monday, and he was one of several superstars across the NBA to candidly discuss his contract status. 

The 40-year-old opted into his $52.6 million player option in June, but didn’t sign the traditional one-plus-one extension he has in the past. James’ agent Rich Paul said to ESPN shortly after James opted in that his client “knows the Lakers are building for the future”, which led to speculation this year will be his last in Los Angeles. 

But James downplayed the situation. 

“It will have no impact,” James told ESPN. “I’m super excited about the challenges and the excitement of our team. We added some new guys. We got another year under our belt with our coaching staff from last year. Got a full year with Luka and another year with the guys that I’ve been with. So super excited about that.

“And I’m not worried about contracts at this point in my career,” James added. “That doesn’t bother me at all.” 

At the start of the season, James will make NBA history as the only player to play in 23 seasons, breaking a tie with Vince Carter. While he didn’t tip his hand at when he will retire, he made it clear his younger son, Bryce, will have nothing to do with his decision. 

A year ago, James and his older son, Bronny, became the first father-son teammates in NBA history. In 2022, James told Sports Illustrated that he wanted to extend his career to play with Bryce, too, who is a freshman at Arizona, but not as highly touted of a prospect as his older brother was coming out of high school. 

“I’m not waiting on Bryce,” James told reporters. “He has his own timeline. I got my timeline, and I don’t know if they quite match up.”

The Joker

James wasn’t the only superstar to discuss his contract situation Monday. 

In July, Nuggets star Nikola Jokić chose not to sign a three-year, $200 million extension that would have kept him in Denver through 2030. But by waiting a year, Jokić can net an additional $80 million and be eligible to sign a four-year, $290 million deal that will take him through the 2030–31 season at age 36.

Jokić was asked about his contract status and said he has no plans to look elsewhere. 

“My plan is to be a Nugget forever,” Jokić told reporters. “So that’s my answer.”

The Greek Freak

Few teams had an offseason as interesting as the Bucks. 

While reports surfaced of Giannis Antetokounmpo being open to changing teams, the  Bucks waived co-star Damian Lillard and his $113 million contract to create room for Myles Turner in an attempt to keep the team competitive for Antetokounmpo. 

Antetokounmpo had not weighed in the reports of his wandering eye—until Monday. 

“Of course, yes. Every summer there’s truth to every report,” Antetokounmpo told reporters. “I want to be on a team that gives me a chance to win a championship. It’s a disservice to the game to not want to compete at a high level, to want your season to end in April. It’s not the first time. I had the same thoughts last year, two years ago, five years ago. It’s never going to change. I want to be among the best, compete with the best, and win another championship.”

Antetokounmpo met with reporters over Zoom as he is currently in Greece with COVID-19. Before meeting with the media, Bucks owner Wes Edens told reporters he had a conversation with Antetokounmpo in June where he “made it clear that he was very committed to Milwaukee. He likes being here, likes his family being here.” 

Antetokounmpo said he didn’t remember that conversation. The 30-year-old will make $54 million this season in the first year of a three-year, $175 million deal he signed in 2023.