Los Angeles Lakers’ Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves ‘Love Playing’ With LeBron James, Have Not Inquired With Him About When He Plans To Retire

Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Dončić and guard Austin Reaves “love playing” with NBA legend LeBron James, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

Dončić and Reaves, who are close friends with James, haven’t inquired with the future Hall of Famer about when he plans to retire from the NBA.

James turns 41 in December. He’s the oldest active player in the NBA and has one year left on his contract with the Lakers.

“Everyone is trying to dictate when he’s done and the reality is nobody actually knows,” a source close to James told ESPN.

James will miss the start of this season due to sciatica on his right side. It’s the first time in his career that he won’t play on opening night.

The leading scorer in NBA history, James becomes an unrestricted free agent next offseason for the first time since 2018. If he doesn’t retire, James can either re-sign with the Lakers or join another team.

James has played for the Cleveland Cavaliers (twice), Miami Heat and Lakers. He signed with LAL in 2018 and led the franchise to the 2020 championship against Miami at the Walt Disney World bubble.

The Lakers lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the 2025 playoffs in five games. Dončić and Reaves are the future in Los Angeles since James will retire soon.

James enters the 2025-26 season with career averages of 27.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.7 blocks. He’s a four-time MVP, a four-time champion, a four-time Finals MVP, a one-time scoring champion and a one-time assists champion. 

James, who grew up idolizing Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan, is first in NBA history in points. He’s the only player to rank top five all-time in points and assists, the only player to win three Finals MVPs with three teams, the only player with 40,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 10,000 career assists and the only player to score 50,000 points combining the regular season and playoffs.