Shannon Sharpe isn’t buying the LeBron James exit rumors. With speculation swirling around whether the four-time NBA champion will exercise his $52.6 million player option to return to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2025–26 or explore a final chapter elsewhere, Sharpe made it clear on his show that LeBron isn’t leaving Los Angeles.
“No, I don’t see it. He love everything about LA. Savannah loves everything about LA… I don’t believe he goes back. Go back and do what? You play with Luka.”
“I think really loves the Lakers. I really think he loves living in LA. I think he loves all things LA. The weather is nice year-round. He don’t really have to have an overcoat.”
“You know you can have a top down damn near year-round. You got water, you got beaches. I mean everything. His businesses are in LA. There’s really nothing for him not to like about LA.”
“Shaq is the really only one I can remember that came here and left. Kareem didn’t leave. Wilt didn’t leave. Kobe didn’t leave. Magic didn’t leave…”
That assertion, while bold, isn’t without merit. LeBron has now spent seven seasons in Los Angeles and has firmly entrenched himself as a Laker legend.
He delivered a championship in 2020, helped rebuild the franchise’s reputation after years of dysfunction, and formed valuable chemistry with emerging talents like Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura.
Even in Year 22, LeBron averaged 24.4 points, 8.2 assists, and 7.8 rebounds across 70 games, numbers that remain elite by any standard, let alone for a 40-year-old.
Still, uncertainty looms. The Lakers were bounced in the first round by the Timberwolves, and reports suggest the franchise plans to rebuild around Luka Doncic.
That raises questions about whether LeBron still fits in the long-term plans, especially if a max extension conflicts with their salary cap strategy or pursuit of another star like Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Michael Rapaport recently said on The Skip Bayless Show that LeBron “sucks the joy” out of the team and the Lakers would be better off moving on. But Sharpe isn’t buying that either. His rebuttal hinges on legacy.
The Lakers are not just another team, this is the NBA’s marquee franchise. And if you’ve already cemented your status as a top-two player of all time, like LeBron has, why finish your career anywhere else?
Even LeBron’s critics acknowledge that he’s still performing at a top-10 level and hasn’t shown visible decline. The only real motivation to leave would be to chase a fifth title elsewhere, perhaps a poetic return to Cleveland or a superteam scenario with Steph Curry or Jimmy Butler.
But Sharpe made it clear: LeBron doesn’t need to ring-chase anymore. His legacy is secure. What matters now is finishing his career where his family is settled, his production is respected, and his brand is thriving.
LeBron himself has been quiet on the matter, and with total control of his future through a player option, he doesn’t need to rush. However, according to The Athletic, sources close to LeBron wouldn’t rule out a departure if the Lakers fall short of major offseason moves.
Yet Sharpe’s logic is rooted in NBA history. Stars like Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar didn’t walk away from the Lakers.
LeBron, too, may understand that staying with the Purple and Gold offers him not just stability, but a chance to write the final act of his legendary career on basketball’s grandest stage.
For Sharpe, there’s no question. LeBron’s not going anywhere.
