LeBron James’ longtime agent said the NBA superstar will decide on his next team when he’s good and ready.
“We’re not going to be rushed,” Rich Paul said on Monday night’s episode of his “Game Over” podcast with Max Kellerman. “We’re not going to be rushed. It’s his choice to make and when he makes the choice, he’ll make it.”
Paul also said that the teams who are courting the 22-time All-Star do not need to provide any more information at this time.
“There’s been several people to call and say, ‘Hey, Rich, is there anything more we should be doing? We could be doing?'” he said. “And my answer is, ‘No. We don’t need you to go above and beyond about anything. We understand it. It’s clear. All the messages have been sent.'”
Tuesday marked three weeks since Paul told the Los Angeles Lakers that the 41-year-old forward was not returning to the team for his record-setting 24th NBA season and was entering free agency.
Potential landing spots for the NBA’s all-time leading scorer include the Golden State Warriors and Philadelphia 76ers or a possible return to the Miami Heat or Cleveland Cavaliers, ESPN reported.
“I won’t hold you guys up too much longer,” James said during a public appearance in New York last week.
Paul said he addressed the situation with NBA commissioner Adam Silver, who said last Thursday that he wanted the four-time league MVP and four-time NBA champion “to make his announcement already, so we can finish the schedule.”
“I saw Adam in New York and we discussed it,” Paul said. “And like I said, it’s still his choice. So if he doesn’t really know, you can’t rush it. You can’t rush it.”
On the podcast, Paul insisted that James is not dragging out the process to build suspense, as was the case with his televised announcement in 2010 — hyped as “The Decision” — that he was leaving the Cavaliers to join the Heat.
“I think it’s important for people to understand: We’re not making this about attention and a spectacle,” Paul said. “It’s not about a ‘Decision’ or anything like that. He has a choice to make. He has a business choice to make. We’re not going to sit here and decide or allow someone else to decide when he makes that decision. … It’s a business choice that he’s making. And I think as an athlete, why is it that an athlete has to rush his choice?”
James averaged 20.9 points, 7.2 assists and 6.1 rebounds in 60 games with the Lakers in 2025-26. He owns career averages of 26.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.4 assists in a record 1,622 games with three teams.
–Field Level Media
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