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The leagues all-time leading scorer, LeBron James, has made it official: He will be returning to the NBA for a record-tying 22nd season. The Los Angeles Lakers may have his son Bronny on their roster.
On Wednesday, an individual familiar with the contract talks revealed that James has accepted a two-year deal to remain with the Lakers. The source informed The Associated Press that James has the option to extend his contract for a second year, which means he could once again be a free agency next summer. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the arrangement had not been publicly revealed.
In an effort to avoid the second apron and maintain roster flexibility moving forward, the Lakers and James agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, may come to an agreement on a contract that is slightly lower than the maximum that James could have obtained, according to ESPN.The deals completion removes a necessary logistical hurdle: LeBron James was waiting for a new contract to be finalized before he could begin practicing with USA Basketball in Las Vegas this weekend, when the team will begin preparing for the Paris Olympics. For his fourth Olympic appearance, James will be returning to London, where he last competed in 2012 to help the United States earn gold.
As the leagues oldest active player, he averaged 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 8.3 assists last season; he will turn 40 in December.
In addition to leading the NBA in points scored with 40,474, James ranks fourth with 11,009 assists, sixth with 1,492 games played, and eighth with 2,410 3-pointers made and 2,275 steals.
Not only did he make it onto the All-NBA squad 20 times, but he was also selected to the All-Star team 20 times. Both the record for youngest player and the record for oldest player to be named to an NBA All-Star team are held by him.
With his selection to the All-NBA team for the 200405 season, James made history as the leagues youngest player to do so. He made history last season as the first player to earn All-NBA honors while being 39 years old or older.
Both Tim Duncan (2014) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (19851986) were on the verge of turning 39 as the regular seasons concluded, marking the end of their respective All-NBA campaigns. James appeared in 71 games last season, with 42 of those games being after his 39th birthday.