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IS HE LEAVING? LEBRON JAMES MULLS LAKERS FUTURE OPTIONS

LeBron James is reportedly undecided if this will be his final NBA season. His future with the Lakers and pursuit of a 22nd All-NBA team are in focus.

Is He Leaving? LeBron James Mulls Lakers Future Options
LeBron James Mulling His Future Now

It's not clear if LeBron James will stay with the Los Angeles Lakers or even continue playing in the NBA after this season.

James has been the NBA's main guy for over 20 years. He's won championships, become the top scorer of all time, and shaped basketball for a whole generation. But time catches up with everyone.

According to ESPN's Dave McMenamin, the Lakers star hasn't decided if this season will be it for him.

If he does retire, James might try to play every remaining game to give fans a proper goodbye. He had a tough start this season with sciatica, which made him miss the Lakers' first 14 games.

McMenamin wrote that those close to James say he really hasn't made up his mind about retiring. So, he might feel he needs to play every game if it turns out to be his last season.

James signed a two-year, $102 million extension with Los Angeles in the summer of 2024. The second year was a player option, which he took in 2025, making this season the last on his current deal. Besides his contract ending, other things will influence what James decides.

One thing, as McMenamin mentions, is James' chase for a record 22nd All-NBA selection.

Since 2004-05, his second year in the league, he's been on an All-NBA team every season. No one else in NBA history has more than 15 selections. Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are tied for second place. James also has a record 13 All-NBA first team picks.

This year, the NBA changed the rules for All-NBA team selection. Players now have to play at least 20 minutes in a minimum of 65 regular-season games to be eligible. LeBron, who will be 41 in December, can only miss three more games this season to stay in the running for an All-NBA team.

If James loses his All-NBA streak this season, especially before 2026, he might decide to retire. But what could really influence him is whether he thinks he can win a championship with the Lakers or join a team with a better shot.

If James wants to come back for a record 24th NBA season, it will be interesting to see if the Lakers offer him a new contract.

The team knows how much buzz LeBron creates. He's still one of the most popular players in the world, and having a superstar is normal for a Los Angeles team.

However, from a basketball point of view, the Lakers will be at a turning point if James wants to play in 2026-27. Last February, General Manager Rob Pelinka made a big trade to get Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks, bringing in another top scorer and All-NBA player who is just entering his prime. Eventually, the Lakers will need to give Doncic full control.

But for now, James is still thinking about what he wants to do.

YANKEES DEBUT ALERT: LEFT-HANDER RYAN WEATHERS OFFICIALLY STARTS TOMORROW NIGHT AGAINST THE NATIONALS

Bronx debut: Discover how Ryan Weathers' new "bullet slider" and 97 MPH heat will lead the Yankees against the Nationals tomorrow.

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Weathers has Cy Young potential if he can just stay durable

Ryan Weathers is set to make his Yankees debut on the mound tomorrow night, according to Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News. The lefty will face a familiar team in the Nationals; he saw plenty of them back when he pitched for the Marlins in the NL East. The Yankees are still getting their starting pitchers ready for the 2026 season, so this outing gives them a chance to see what Weathers can do.

They picked up Weathers from Miami this offseason. He’s only 26, but he’s already been busy trying to sharpen his game. He's been working on a new two-seam fastball and a tighter bullet slider, hoping to finally show why he was once the seventh overall pick in the draft.

Before that, though, the Yankees take on Toronto today at 1:07 PM EST. Will Warren gets the start, and both Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger are in the lineup.

Now, back to Weathers. Last year with the Marlins, he made eight starts and put up a 3.99 ERA, striking out over 22% of the batters he faced. The Yankees believe he has even more to offer. They’re betting that these new pitches, a better two-seamer and a firmer slider, will help him take that next step.

He throws hard; his fastball averaged 96.8 MPH last season, which got plenty of teams interested. The upside is real, but so is the risk. Injuries have slowed him down the last couple of years, cutting short what could have been breakout seasons.

First, Weathers has to prove he can stay healthy. Then, he needs to show that these tweaks to his pitch mix can help him avoid the hard contact that led to seven home runs allowed in just 38.1 innings last season. The Yankees are betting on his talent, though, and they see him as a possible future star in their rotation.

Tomorrow’s game is at George M. Steinbrenner Field, and it’ll be the Yankees’ first night game of the 2026 Grapefruit League, starting at 6:35 PM EST.

OLYMPIC FAMILY LEGACY: INSIDE TOM BRADY’S PLAN TO TURN VIVIAN INTO A SUPERSTAR OLYMPIAN

Sports news: Tom Brady's Olympic dream. Get the report on Vivian’s volleyball talent and Team USA’s wins in Milan.

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Tom Brady labelled Vivian a "Future Summer Olympian" in Milan?

Tom Brady, now retired and a seven-time Super Bowl champ, took his kids, Benjamin and Vivia,n to Milan for the 2026 Winter Olympics. They spent the week soaking up the city, meeting new faces, and cheering for Team USA on the ice. The real rush came on Thursday; the USA’s women’s hockey team pulled off a wild comeback against Canada, winning 2-1 in overtime. Megan Keller scored the game-winner, and Brady got to watch it all unfold right next to tennis legend Billie Jean King.

Four days later, the men’s team kept the momentum going. Jack Hughes scored another overtime winner against Canada on Sunday. You’d think that would be the biggest story from the Bradys’ trip, but no, what really got people talking was something way more personal.

Tom posted a sweet shoutout to his daughter Vivian on Instagram. Just after all the Olympic action, he shared a photo of 13-year-old Vivian, captioning it: “Future summer Olympian” with a string of volleyball emojis. Fans immediately caught on that Brady wasn’t just being a proud dad; he was dropping a real hint.

Vivian, whom he shares with Gisele Bündchen, already plays volleyball at school. She swims and plays soccer, too. What’s cool is that every sport she loves is a Summer Olympics event. Brady’s caption didn’t feel random; it felt like he meant it.

And this isn’t their first Olympic adventure together. Brady and Vivian hit up the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics and packed their days with nine different events: gymnastics, beach volleyball, swimming, and diving. Vivian even got to play some volleyball on the sand with Brazilian legend Juliana Felisberta da Silva.

After seeing all the winter action in Italy, Brady’s “summer Olympian” tag for Vivian sounds even more hopeful. He knows exactly where he sees her going.

With the Olympics set to land in Los Angeles in 2028, Vivian will be 15 when the Games kick off in July. Club volleyball is probably her next step. And Brady himself? He’s hinted he’s got his own Olympic goals for 2028, turning the dream into a full-on family mission.

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