LOS ANGELES — LeBron James is weighing his future with the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason and could return to the Cleveland Cavaliers for a third stint. "I don't know what the future holds for me, obviously," James said.

James outlined the people who would shape his decision. "I'll have a conversation with my 12-year-old daughter, that's a big factor. And my 19-year-old son [Bryce] is entering his second year at Arizona. And my wife as well. They're a huge factor in any decision I've made, so they'll be a big part of it as well," he said.

"James and the Cavaliers have mutual interest in a return," reporter Brandon "Scoop B" Robinson said. James also liked an Instagram post urging him to return to Cleveland.

NBA insider Shams Charania said interest in James extends across the league. "I do know a lot of teams are calling him and his camp," Charania said on The Pat McAfee Show. "I spoke with Rich Paul the other day at the Chicago Draft Combine last week and he told me like every contender in the NBA is essentially since the season ended, placed a call," he said.

The Lakers would like to retain James as they pursue their 18th championship in franchise history. In his 23rd NBA season, James led the Lakers to the second round of the Western Conference playoffs, where they were swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder. With Luka Doncic missing the entire postseason and Austin Reaves missing the start of the postseason, James led the Lakers past the Houston Rockets in the first round.

James played 60 games in the 2025-26 regular season, averaging 20.9 points, 7.2 assists and 6.1 rebounds per game. In the postseason, he averaged 23.2 points, 7.3 assists and 6.7 rebounds per game. If he returns for another NBA season, he will be 41 years old.

James was drafted by the Cavaliers in 2003 out of high school and spent his first seven NBA seasons with the franchise. He then played four seasons with the Miami Heat before returning to Cleveland in 2014 for four more seasons. The Cavaliers are in the Eastern Conference finals, where they lost Game 1 in overtime to the New York Knicks after blowing a 22-point fourth-quarter lead. Cleveland is currently above the second salary cap apron under the NBA's salary cap rules.