Feb. 13, 2026, 9:22 p.m. PT<\/p>\n
Thanks to the NBA All-Star Game this Sunday, the Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> will be off until Friday, Feb. 20, when they host the Los Angeles Clippers<\/a>. This is the 22nd time LeBron James has been chosen to play in the league’s midseason classic, and the speculation about what he will basketball-wise after this season continues unabated.<\/p>\n He will become a free agent this summer, and there is a feeling, at least to some extent, that this will be his finale with the Lakers. The Cleveland Cavaliers<\/a> made a couple of moves prior to last week’s trade deadline that trimmed their payroll, and those moves could be seen as a pretext toward a reunion between James and the Cavaliers.<\/p>\n Tim MacMahon of ESPN said on “NBA Today”<\/a> that there is “rampant speculation” across the league about James going back to his original team and staging “a retirement tour for the ages.”<\/p>\n \u201cI know what the rampant speculation is around the league and that is this summer there\u2019s going to be a reunion and potentially a retirement tour for the ages back home again with the Cleveland Cavaliers next year.\u201d<\/p>\n James, of course, spent his first seven NBA seasons with Cleveland and then returned to the team in 2014 for four more seasons after spending four years with the Miami Heat. In 2016, he brought the Cavs their first-ever championship after they overcame a 3-1 series deficit against the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.<\/p>\n Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!<\/a><\/p>\n The 41-year-old is still playing at a superstar level this season. He’s averaging 22 points on 50.3% field-goal shooting, 5.8 rebounds and 7.1 assists a game, and on Thursday<\/a> against the Dallas Mavericks<\/a>, he became the oldest player<\/a> in league history to record a triple-double.<\/p>\n