Robert Horry shares his take on LeBron James’ future

Seven-time NBA champion Robert Horry had some thoughts about Lakers superstar LeBron James at Clayton Kershaw's Ping Pong 4 Purpose Celebrity Tournament in Los Angeles on Monday.

Horry, who won three of his NBA championships with the Lakers, told Ryan Gaydos of FOX News that he sees James finishing his career with the Lakers. James will enter his 20th season in the NBA. “LeBron ain’t going nowhere. He got the Hollywood in him now. He got the movies. He got so many contacts out here. He can't do that if he goes to Cleveland or Miami or anywhere else. You gotta stay here. He’s a Laker for the rest of his... 13 more years he’s gonna play,” Gaydos explained.

The four-time NBA champion is eligible to sign a two-year, $97 million extension with the Lakers. James has until June 30, 2023 to sign the extension. If he doesn’t, he would become an unrestricted free agent next summer. 

Is James happy in Los Angeles?

The Lakers won the 2020 NBA championship, defeating the Heat 4–2 in the bubble. James signed a four-year, $153.5 million contract with the Lakers in 2018 as an unrestricted free agent. He then agreed to a two-year, $85.7 million extension in 2020. The Lakers lost in the first round of the playoffs in the 2020-21 season and missed the playoffs altogether last season.

Despite the Lakers’ recent struggles, a report from NBA insider Marc Stein on Substack on July 29 stated that James is “extremely happy” in Los Angeles.  “Sources briefed on the matter stress that James is extremely happy in Los Angeles despite the Lakers’ back-to-back rocky seasons. He and his family, by all accounts, have grown increasingly entrenched in Southern California since James signed with the Lakers in the summer of 2018,” Stein wrote.

James’ sons Bronny and Bryce play basketball at Sierra Canyon School in Los Angeles. Bronny will be a senior in high school this year while Bryce will be a sophomore.

James averaged 30.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 6.2 assists in 37.2 minutes over 56 games last season but the Lakers won just 33 games.