“They know he ain’t leaving now” - Jalen Rose on the LA Lakers’ confidence in keeping LeBron James, citing family and a growing business empire as undeniably huge reasons for staying

On August 4, LeBron James will be eligible to sign a two-year deal with the LA Lakers worth roughly $97 million. The four-time MVP hasn’t committed to extending his stay in Hollywood, indicating that talks won't begin until August 4.

It is rumored that James is pushing the Lakers to retool their lineup and maximize his chances of winning another title. Unless the team can do that, he may simply play out the final year of his contract and choose to go somewhere else for the 2023-24 season.

Former NBA player Jalen Rose believes “King James” isn’t going anywhere and that the Lakers are confident of retaining the four-time champion:

“They know he ain’t leaving now. So it don’t even matter what happens with the contract. They know they got the house out here, the wife out here, they know the kids out here.”

Rose added:

“We always think about it as LeBron James the superstar, not always LeBron James the father, the dad, the human being. I don’t think he’s gonna necessarily wanna uproot to go play somewhere else.”

Hollywood is where the action is and LeBron James has certainly taken advantage of that. He has grown his business empire from his home base while his family has adapted to the California lifestyle.

At his age, the hassle it takes to move to another city may be something he’s not interested in doing.

The LA Lakers are also in a better position to build a roster around James if he extends his stay for at least another year. Russell Westbrook’s contract is likely to be off the books and the team could lure more quality players, maybe even some stars, knowing James is committed to staying.

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Jalen Rose is convinced LeBron James will not go to the Cleveland Cavaliers

The ship has sailed on the possibility of James going back to Cleveland, per Jalen Rose. [Photo: NBA.com]

An intriguing possibility involving LeBron James is the prospect of the Akron native going back to play for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Cleveland has cleared enough cap space for next season to sign James without losing its core of Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.

James is also open to the idea of returning to Cleveland. Jalen Rose, however, emphatically dismissed the idea of that happening.

“I think that chapter’s closed …We know he and Dan Gilbert don’t have the best relationship. I think once he won that championship and he left Cleveland, I think that ship has sailed. I don’t believe that LeBron would end up a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers.”

Rose added that James has already cemented his legacy in Ohio after keeping his promise of delivering the Cavaliers their first NBA championship.