Getty Lakers superstar LeBron James
LeBron James signed a two-year, $97.1 million extension with the Los Angeles Lakers on August 18th and his new head coach is thrilled about it.
Darvin Ham spoke to Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints on August 26th and the 49-year-old talked about James’ massive extension.
“It’s huge, man,” Ham told Azarly. “It’s huge. LeBron is a once-in-a-lifetime player. You only get so many players. Not even so many. You have Bill Russell, you have Wilt Chamberlain, you have Dr. J, you have Moses Malone, you had Larry Bird, Magic [Johnson], you had [Michael] Jordan, you had Allen Iverson, Shaq [O’Neal], Kobe [Bryant], and now it’s LeBron’s time.”
James’ extension has a 15% trade kicker and makes the superstar swingman the highest-earning player in NBA history with $532 million in guaranteed money, surpassing Brooklyn Nets All-Star small forward Kevin Durant. James, who turns 38 in December, was ineligible for a no-trade clause since he agreed to an extension.
James Didn’t Find 2023 Cap Space Teams Appealing to Decline Extension
According to an August 18th report from Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, James didn’t find any 2023 cap space teams appealing enough to decline an extension with the Lakers, who missed the playoffs last season. On the August 20th episode of The Hoop Collective, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said James signed the extension because he “believes in the Lakers.”
“For LeBron James, he looked at the free agency landscape next summer — who might have cap space — and there was nothing that interested him enough, I’m told, to keep that option open and go into the season on an expiring contract,” Wojnarowski said on Get Up.
James, a four-time MVP and four-time Finals MVP, averaged 30.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 6.2 assists while shooting 52.4% from the floor, 35.9% from beyond the arc and 75.6% from the free-throw line last season in 56 starts. However, the Lakers went only 33-49 despite having James, Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard.
James Is ‘Extremely Happy’ in Los Angeles
The Lakers lost in the first round of the 2021 playoffs to the Phoenix Suns and didn’t qualify for the play-in tournament last season. However, James is reportedly “extremely happy” in Los Angeles, according to a July 29th report from NBA insider Marc Stein.
“Sources briefed on the matter stress that James is extremely happy in Los Angeles despite the Lakers’ back-to-back rocky seasons,” Stein reported. “He and his family, by all accounts, have grown increasingly entrenched in Southern California since James signed with the Lakers in the summer of 2018.”
Both of James’ sons play basketball at Sierra Canyon School in Los Angeles. Bronny will be a senior in high school this year, while Bryce will be a sophomore. James’ wife — Savannah — and daughter — Zhuri — also enjoy living in LA.
James has played in 223 out of a possible 307 regular-season games since joining the Lakers, averaging 27.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 8.2 assists. The 18-time All-Star led the Lakers to their 17th championship in 2020. James averaged 29.8 points, 11.8 rebounds and 8.5 assists in the 2020 Finals against the Miami Heat, taking home his fourth Finals MVP.
The only player in NBA history to record 10,000+ points, 10,000+ rebounds and 10,000+ assists in his career, James is two championships and two Finals MVPs away from tying his childhood idol, Michael Jordan.