LeBron James set to sign Sh9.5b two-year contract extension
Los Angeles, Thursday
LeBron James is on the verge of signing a two-year contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers, which is worth a reported Sh9.5 billion ($85m).
The 35-year-old’s agent told ESPN his contract will run until the end of the 2022-23 season - his 20th in the NBA.
He will become a free agent in the same year in which his 16-year-old son Bronny is slated to enter the NBA when he graduates from high school.
James led the Lakers to their first NBA title in a decade in October.
He was named the finals’ most valuable player and became the first player to win the title with three different teams, having twice won it with Miami Heat and once with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
His career earnings will approach $435m (£324m) by the end of his Lakers deal.
The Lakers will play the Los Angeles Clippers in their opening game of the new NBA season on 22 December.
James says the Lakers “absolutely can” retain their title, telling the ‘Road Trippin’’ podcast: “We can. I mean, it’s that simple.”
Meanwhile, The NBA season will tip off Christmas week with two games on opening night, highlighted by the Los Angeles Lakers championship ring ceremony, the league announced on Wednesday.
The Lakers will battle the Los Angeles Clippers on December 22 to open the season just 10 weeks after they beat the Miami Heat in six games to win in their 17th NBA championship.
The league decided to hold off on announcing its full schedule and is doing it in a piecemeal fashion instead. Three days of the schedule came out Wednesday and another batch will be revealed on Friday.
The other opening night game features the Golden State Warriors visiting Kevin Durant’s Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center arena. - AFP
