NBA: LeBron James is keeping everyone in suspense, whilst Pat Riley and Adam Silver are starting to get impatient

It has now been more than two weeks since LeBron James informed the Lakers that he would not be extending his stay in Los Angeles. And ever since, the whole of the NBA has been holding its breath. The King, aged 41, a free agent for the first time since 2018, is savouring every minute of this summer’s courtship whilst the franchises and the commissioner are champing at the bit.

01The summer saga

At 41, the man set to play his 24th NBA season has mastered the art of communication — or the lack thereof — like no one else.

One day, Cleveland is in the lead. The next, it’s Miami. Then Philadelphia, Minnesota, Golden State… Brian Windhorst, an ESPN journalist who has been following LeBron since his high school days in Akron, summed up the situation on Thursday with disarming honesty: “The teams trying to sign him are consulting with one another, and they’re contacting me to ask: what are you hearing? No information has come from LeBron or Rich Paul.”

James’s agent, Rich Paul, is maintaining a total blackout. No leaks, no clues. At 41, the man set to play his 24th NBA season has mastered the art of communication — or the lack thereof — like no one else.

02Pat Riley drops a hint in Miami

On Thursday, the president of the Miami Heat was introducing his new star signing: Giannis Antetokounmpo. It was a press conference that should have been a moment of celebration. But Pat Riley couldn’t resist slipping in a cryptic remark: “We’ve managed to land the plane. Now there’s another one to land. ”

The message is crystal clear. Miami, having already pulled off the Giannis coup, wants to double down with LeBron. An Antetokounmpo-James duo under the Florida sun? The prospect has the league salivating and is giving other owners cold sweats.

Meanwhile, Tyrese Haliburton has taken a lighter-hearted approach on social media to lure James to Indiana, earning an amused ‘like’ from the man himself. At this stage, everyone is playing their hand.

03“All a show,” says Perkins

Kendrick Perkins, the former Celtics centre who is now an ESPN pundit, doesn’t mince his words: “At this stage, the word that best describes what LeBron James is doing is ‘theatre’. I think he already knows where he wants to go. He loves all this attention. And he’s absolutely right, because if I were in his shoes, I’d do the same.”

Perkins’ theory is shared by several observers: LeBron is simply waiting for the World Cup to end on Sunday so he can monopolise media attention with the announcement of his decision. This timing would echo ‘The Decision’, his 2010 TV programme in which he announced his move to Miami.

04Even Adam Silver is growing impatient

But the most surprising development comes from the NBA itself. Commissioner Adam Silver acknowledged on Thursday on CNBC that the uncertainty surrounding LeBron was holding up the finalisation of the 2026–27 season schedule: “We need to finalise the schedule, and where LeBron plays will inevitably have an impact. I’d like him to finally make his announcement. It will affect the opening week of the season, the Christmas fixtures…”

The fact that a 41-year-old player can dictate the schedule of the world’s biggest basketball league speaks volumes. Two decades after his debut, LeBron James remains the player around whom the entire NBA revolves. It remains to be seen which franchise will have the privilege of hosting the 24th – and probably final – season of the greatest scorer in history.