LeBron James’s Potential Retirement Could Cost Him Nearly $100 Million

The basketball luminary is considering a move that would have significant financial consequences.

When the Lakers lost to the Nuggets 113–111 Monday evening to close the book on Los Angeles’s 2023 season, basketball fans were left to confront the unthinkable: the potential retirement of Los Angeles forward LeBron James.

James was evasive, opaque and terse during his presser after dropping 40 points in Denver’s comeback victory, telling reporters he “[has] to think about” potentially walking away from the game after 20 years.

The news took the basketball world by surprise for a number of reasons, not the least of which was the money James would leave behind by retiring.

On Aug. 17, 2022, James signed a two-year, $97 million extension with Los Angeles. As currently structured, James would make just under $47 million in 2024 and he would have a $51 million player option for 2025.

By walking away, James would forfeit his ’24 and ’25 salaries—a total that adds up to almost $100 million.

James, phenomenally wealthy with a secure legacy as a towering figure in 21st-century American sports, presumably is in a position where financial considerations have become almost academic. However, the cost of a potential retirement is worth noting as James ponders his future in the weeks and months ahead.