LeBron James Signs Two-Year Extension, Becomes Highest Earning Player in NBA History

August 17, 2022, by Elias Schuster Chicago Bulls

Minutes before the NBA officially dropped its 2022-23 schedule on Wednesday, LeBron James made a major decision.

The NBA superstar decided to ink a two-year, $97.1 million extension with the Los Angeles Lakers. The contract officially lifts LeBron James over Kevin Durant as the league’s highest-earning player of all time.

The two-year, $97.1M extension, which includes a 15 percent trade kicker, makes LeBron James the highest earning player in NBA history with $532M in guaranteed money. He surpasses Brooklyn’s Kevin Durant. pic.twitter.com/UUHMspiKZp
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 17, 2022

James’ extension comes with a player option for the 2024-25 season, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, which will continue to leave him with significant flexibility moving forward. His new extension also puts him in line with fellow All-Star Anthony Davis, who can similarly choose to enter free agency after the 2023-24 season.

The decision for James to extend his time in LA doesn’t come as a major surprise. But whether or not he finishes his career there is still a key question. Despite his age, James continues to perform at an All-NBA-caliber level, and he’s also been more than vocal about his plans to play with his son in the near future. Bronny James, 17, is only two seasons out from potentially becoming eligible for the NBA Draft.

Anyway, in case you missed it, the Bulls will play the NBA’s new highest-paid player in late March. You can check out the full schedule released this afternoon here: