Source: Luka Dončić Wants LeBron James to Retire From NBA With Los Angeles Lakers

Luka Dončić wants LeBron James to retire from the NBA with the Los Angeles Lakers, a source told DallasHoopsJournal.com.

LeBron will make $52.6 million next season in the final year of his contract. If the basketball great retires after next season, Dončić gets his wish.

However, if LeBron decides to play in 2026-27, Dončić wants the leading scorer in NBA history to re-sign with the Lakers in the offseason of 2026, the source said.

Dončić, who was born in Slovenia, has said many times that LeBron is the player he grew up watching the most. The former Dallas Mavericks superstar enjoyed playing with King James last season and believes the Lakers will compete for the title next season, the source said.

Dončić and LeBron appeared in 23 games together last season. The Lakers went 15-8, with Dončić and LeBron both putting up stellar numbers.

Dončić averaged 27.7 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.3 assists alongside LeBron, while LeBron averaged 23.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and 6.7 assists next to Dončić.

Los Angeles was the third seed in the 2025 Western Conference postseason. The team lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round in five games despite having Dončić, LeBron and home-court advantage.

After the Lakers lost Dorian Finney-Smith to the Houston Rockets on the first day of free agency, Dončić recruited Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart to Los Angeles, the source said. Austin Reaves also recruited Jake LaRavia to the purple and gold, the source said.

Dončić, 26, will sign an extension with the Lakers this weekend. He enters next season with career averages of 28.6 points, 8.6 rebounds and 8.2 assists with the Mavericks and Lakers.

Dončić is third in NBA history in points per game, trailing only Chicago Bulls icon Michael Jordan and the late great Wilt Chamberlain.

LeBron, who is the oldest active player in the league, is still an elite offensive force. He made the All-NBA Second Team and finished sixth in MVP voting last season.

There were whispers that LeBron and Dončić didn’t like playing with each other after the Lakers lost to the Timberwolves, but Dončić’s manager quickly put an end to that rumor.

“Luka loves playing with LeBron and has learned so much from him,” Dončić’s manager, Lara Beth Seager, told Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. “He has nothing but the utmost respect for LeBron and considers it an honor to be his teammate.”

The Lakers are expected to start Dončić, Reaves, Rui Hachimura, LeBron and Ayton next season, multiple sources told DallasHoopsJournal.com.