Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James ‘Focused on Making Himself More Dangerous off the Ball’

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is “focused on making himself more dangerous off the ball,” according to NBA insider Anthony Irwin of ClutchPoints.

Luka Dončić will be the primary ball-handler for the Lakers in 2025-26. James shot 37.6% from beyond the arc last season, the fourth-highest percentage of his career.

“James has focused, sources say, on making himself more dangerous off the ball. He has spent time getting more comfortable catching and shooting offensively and has spent even more time getting his body ready to focus more of his energy on the defensive side of the ball as Dončić will handle the primary offensive load,” Irwin wrote.

Dončić and James, two of the best players in the NBA, played 23 games together last season. The Lakers went 15–8 in those games.

Dončić averaged 27.7 points, 7.6 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.4 blocks next to James, who averaged 23.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.6 blocks alongside Dončić in 2024-25. The two future Hall of Famers proved to be a lethal dynamic duo.

James, 40, picked up his 2025-26 player option with the Lakers. He will make $52.6 million next season in the final year of his contract. The leading scorer in NBA history will become an unrestricted free agent next offseason for the first time since 2018.

Dončić, who signed a three-year extension with Los Angeles on August 2, wants James to retire from the NBA with the Lakers, a source told DallasHoopsJournal. Dončić has frequently said James was the player he watched most growing up.

Dončić really enjoyed playing alongside James last season and believes the Lakers can contend for the championship in 2025-26, sources said.

Los Angeles lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the 2025 playoffs in five games. Dončić recruited Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart and Austin Reaves recruited Jake LaRavia this offseason, sources said.

Lakers head coach JJ Redick is widely expected to start Dončić, Reaves, Rui Hachimura, James and Ayton next season.