American News: James has no new contract dialogue with the Lakers, but he has no plans to retire

Recently, the well-known sports reporter Brian Windhorst pointed out that from the competitive perspective, as long as LeBron James is willing and can maintain his form, his professional basketball career can continue, and his future still has a long track.

On Tuesday local time, Brian Windhorst said on the "The Hoops Collective" podcast: "Ritchie Paul told me that there has been no substantive dialogue with the Lakers about the new contract. This sentence can be interpreted in multiple ways. Maybe they already have an answer in their hearts, maybe they expect the Lakers to offer the offer. But the fact is not that James asked for a new contract and the Lakers refused. This is the background of this summer's story."

James has frequently hinted at the possibility of retirement in recent months, and the 2025-26 season will be the 23rd season of his career. But Brian Windhorst doesn't think James is ready to leave the field. He mentioned that the 40-year-old James still averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.4 assists last season.

James's wife hopes that he will retire in the next one or two years, especially after executing this player option.

"I can't answer for James whether he wants to continue playing mentally, but judging from his performance, he is not like a player who is close to retirement," said Brian Windhorst. "Of course, he has to be willing. He has to continue to accept physical challenges. These are all premises. I know a lot of people say it's his last year, but if he stays healthy, I can't see LeBron's obvious decline. Maybe he's tired, but I don't see much backward in form."