LeBron James has been the face of the Los Angeles Lakers since arriving in Hollywood in 2018. He won the organization its first title in a decade in 2020 and turned in another strong performance last year in his age-40 season.

It's one of the more intriguing stories of the 2025 NBA offseason: after LeBron James exercised his $52.6 million player option last month, a statement from agent Rich Paul about how James wanted to play for a contender ignited all kinds of trade rumors.

LeBron James Refuses Interview Amid Lakers Trade Rumors originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has been involved in several trade rumors as of late, thanks to Rich Paul's comments about his current priorities.