There’s been plenty of buzz around when the NBA King, LeBron James, will finally retire. And rightly so. The four-time NBA champion has defied Father Time for years. Now playing in his 23rd season, a milestone no player in NBA history has reached while still playing at an elite level.
But there’s also growing anticipation about where James will ultimately retire. The future Hall of Famer exercised his $52.5 million player option to stay in Los Angeles for the 2025–26 season. However, no contract extension has been discussed so far, fueling speculation that his time with the Lakers could be nearing its end. One former lottery pick has now added an interesting twist to that storyline.
NBA Veteran Olden Polynice Shares Why LeBron James Won’t Retire With Lakers
The Lakers have a rich history of legendary players ending their careers in Los Angeles. Kobe Bryant is perhaps the most notable example, spending his entire 20-year career with the franchise before retiring in 2016. Other icons such as Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Wilt Chamberlain also concluded their careers with the Lakers.
But Olden Polynice, a 15-year NBA veteran who was selected eighth overall in the 1987 NBA Draft, believes James won’t follow the same path.
Speaking on the Byron Scott Fast Break Podcast, Polynice shared his reasoning in blunt terms: “He’s not a true Laker.”
Byron Scott, a key member of the Lakers’ famed Showtime era who spent 11 seasons in Los Angeles and won three championships, expanded on the idea. Scott suggested that James’ tendency to do things differently could be why the league’s all-time leading scorer may not retire in a Lakers uniform:
“I think that’s part of it. You got so many greats who have retired a Laker. I think LeBron likes going off script,” Scott said.
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Polynice further echoed that sentiment while also pointing to the divide among fans, “I’m not trying to be disrespectful, but just his mentality. Just like the fan base. There are Laker fans, and there are Kobe fans.”
James’ career history supports part of that argument. Over the years, the superstar has changed teams multiple times, playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, and the Lakers across different stages of his career.
The most famous example came in 2010 when James announced his move from Cleveland to Miami during the widely watched television special known as The Decision, declaring: “I’m going to take my talents to South Beach.”
Despite the speculation, there is still no clear timeline for when James plans to retire. In fact, many around the league believe he could return for a 24th season.
There’s also growing sentiment that James could eventually finish his career in Cleveland — the franchise that selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the legendary 2003 NBA Draft.
