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On Thursday, Los Angeles Lakers Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Rob Pelinka announced an historic deal with LeBron James, who signed a two-year, $97.1 million contract extension.
In a written statement, Pelinka said, “LeBron is a generational basketball player who has proven to be even more impactful as a human being,” according to NBA.com. .
“We are thrilled to continue our partnership with him, ensuring he’s a driving force of Lakers culture for years to come,” Pelinka added. “The Lakers platform has proved again and again to be an ideal place for the game’s all-time greats to thrive and achieve. We are thankful LeBron has experienced the power of that.”
ESPN was the first media outlet to report that James signed the deal, which makes him the highest-paid baller in NBA history. Included in the extension is a player option for the 2024-25 season, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul informed ESPN earlier this week.
With the deal, James has surpassed Brooklyn Nets’ Kevin Durant as the league’s highest-paid player in NBA history.
CNBC reports that with this latest extension, James will make at least $528,992,480 in guaranteed money during for his career. Durant’s current contract has him making a not-so colossal $498,688,653.
James, a four-time NBA champion, is entering his fifth season with the Lakers. During his time in Los Angeles, he has averaged 27.0 points (.509 FG%, .353 3P%), 8.0 rebounds, 8.2 assists and 1.2 steals in 223 games. In 2020, he led the Lakers to their 17th NBA championship. During that campaign, he averaged 27.6 points, 10.8 rebounds, 8.8 assists and 1.2 steals to take home his fourth NBA Finals MVP award.
James has scored 7,631 career points in the postseason, the most in league history. He is currently in second place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list and is the only player in NBA history to record 10,000-plus points, 10,000-plus rebounds, and 10,000-plus assists in his career.
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