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Former NBA Exec Reveals 'Most Amazing Thing' About LeBron James

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Ashish Mathur | Last updated Jun 20, 2025 5:24 PM ET

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has a player option worth $52.6 million for next season. The leading scorer in NBA history turns 41 in December. He's the oldest active player in the league.

James played in 70 games for the Lakers this season, averaging 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.2 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.6 blocks per game. He made the All-NBA Second Team, becoming the oldest player in NBA history to accomplish that feat.

The Lakers were the third seed in the West this season but lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs in five games. James averaged 25.4 points, 9.0 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.8 blocks per game in the five-game series. He suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain in his left knee in Game 5.

It's unknown if James will choose his 2025-26 player option with the Lakers or decline it and become a free agent. The four-time MVP is not expected to leave Los Angeles since his son, Bronny James, and five-time All-Star Luka Doncic are on the Lakers.

Former NBA executive John Hollinger, who now writes for The Athletic, created the player efficiency rating stat in the late '90s. He has a new stat called BORD$ (Big Ol’ Rating Dollar).

BORD$ is designed to answer one question: How much value can a player deliver for next season? Hollinger bases this on two variables: the expected quality of the players’ minutes and the minutes we’d expect the player to play on an average team.

"The most amazing thing about James is that, at 40, he is still good enough and durable enough that BORD$ projects him as one of only 14 players in the entire league who are worth at least $52 million for the coming season, a figure that nears the 35 percent 'supermax' of $54.1 million," Hollinger wrote.

There has never been a player to put up the numbers James did this season at 40 years of age.

After seeing how he played this season, many believe James will put up elite numbers again in 2025-26.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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