Dave McMenamin
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- Lakers and NBA reporter for ESPN.
- Covered the Lakers and NBA for ESPNLosAngeles.com from 2009-14, the Cavaliers from 2014-18 for ESPN.com and the NBA for NBA.com from 2005-09.
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LeBron James’ longtime friend and agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, said Monday he doesn’t know when his client will decide which team he’ll play for next season. He added that teams interested in bringing James on board don’t have to do anything yet to sway his client’s opinion.
“We’re not going to rush it,” Paul said on the latest episode of the Game Over podcast with Max Kellerman and Rich Paul, which aired Monday night. “We’re not going to rush. It’s his choice, and when he makes a choice, he makes it.”
Paul went on to say that teams reached out to him to see if they should be more involved while James weighed his options, and he told them it wasn’t necessary.
“There were a few people who called and said, ‘Hey Rich, is there anything else we should do? Could we do it?’” Paul said. “And my answer is: “No. We don’t need you to do your best at anything. We understand this. This is clear. All messages have been sent.”
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Tuesday will mark three weeks since Paul informed the Los Angeles Lakers that James would not return to the franchise for the 2026-27 season and would become a free agent to find a landing spot for a record 24th NBA season.
The Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat are among the teams still in pursuit, sources told ESPN, with the three Eastern Conference franchises considered the top teams.
James made several public appearances in New York last week and gave no details about his decision-making process other than to say, “I won’t keep you too long.”
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Thursday at the CNBC Sport x Boardroom: Game Plan Summit in New York: “I wish (James) would have made his announcement already so we can finalize the schedule.”
Paul said he spoke with Silver privately after those comments.
“I saw Adam in New York and we discussed it,” Paul said. “And like I said, it’s still his choice. So unless he actually knows, you can’t rush it. You can’t rush.”
The wait, Paul said, is not intended to get more people talking about the 41-year-old James, and he is not comparing it to ESPN’s “The Decision” TV special that James appeared on in 2010, when he announced he was leaving Cleveland to join Miami.
“I think it’s important for people to understand that we don’t do this for attention and spectacle,” Paul said. “It’s not about a ‘solution’ or anything like that. He has a choice he must make. He has a business choice. We’re not going to sit here and decide or let somebody else decide when they make that decision. … It’s a business choice he makes. And I, as an athlete, think, why should an athlete rush into his choice?”
Kellerman challenged his co-host by saying that some people believe that “LeBron loves attention,” which Paul vehemently rejected.
“This is the easiest option when you don’t have information,” Paul said. “That’s exactly what it is.”
“I don’t know when his choice will be made, but it could be 48 seconds (from now). It could be 48 minutes. I don’t know. Again, you can’t force someone to know something they don’t know.” Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, LeBron James’ agent
Paul was a guest on ESPN’s Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday, and when asked about whether next season could be a farewell tour or whether a different decision will be made after this season, Paul said, “I don’t know,” but added that James is in the driver’s seat, not a specific team.
“If you follow his career, he’s always been a person who took care of his body, who put himself in a position that when and if he ever decides to make any decision, in terms of his choice to continue to play or not to continue to play, it’s because he wants to make that choice, not because he has to make that choice,” he said. “Was there ever anyone who could get to a place where he could honestly and with complete clarity make decisions and choose what he chose regarding the continuation of his career or the continuation of his professional career. Usually we are manipulated by the financial component, but in this case it is not.”
Paul acknowledged that when James decides to retire, he will miss him, but LeBron has earned the right to take his time.
“I think it’s a very unique position and that’s what it takes to be a lucky guy or a guy who deserves it. Personally, I don’t like to think about the end of it because he still has so much left in the tank, but that’s his choice,” Paul said of McAfee. “I don’t like to think about it because he was so good to us and the game and meant so much to the sport.”
While several teams continue to express their interest in James — Heat president of basketball operations Pat Riley even appeared on “The Dan Le Batard Show” to discuss a reunion with the man who won two of his four championships and made four of his 10 NBA Finals appearances with Miami from 2010 to 2014 — Paul insisted they mind their own business in the meantime.
“There are roster spots that are not filled,” Paul said. “If they want to fill their roster spots, we’re not saying, don’t fill your roster spots.”
When asked if James was leaning one way or if he had a hierarchy in mind, Paul replied: “I can’t say anything.”
Paul also spoke out against various recent reports that suggested James’ announcement was imminent.
“These people don’t know anything,” Paul said. “I don’t know when his choice will be made, but it could be 48 seconds (from now). It could be 48 minutes. I don’t know. Again, you can’t force someone to know something they don’t know.”