LeBron James should be chasing a ring, but he’s not
· Yahoo Sports
LeBron James is a free agent. Maybe for the last time and as the kids say, he’s making a meal out of it. James is weighing all the options and taking a number of factors into consideration as he decides where he wants to finish his long and distinguished career. Thanks to all he’s accomplished, he can truly do whatever he wants.
James has played more games than anyone else in NBA history. He’s also scored more points than anyone else. He’ll pass Jason Kidd for No. 3 on the all-time assists list this season. If he returns in ’27-’28, he’ll pass Chris Paul for No. 2 on that list. He will also probably end up in the top five for steals (passing Gary Payton) and top 20 for rebounds (passing Charles Oakley, Paul Silas, Dikembe Mutombo and Charles Barkley) before he finally retires.
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LeBron also has a net worth of more than a billion dollars according to Forbes. James himself denies this figure, but he signed a lifetime deal with Nike a decade ago and has made more than a half-a-billion in on-court earnings alone. Even more impressive, he already helped one of his children obtain a high paying job in his field.
The point is that money is no object for James. And neither are stats. At this point it can only about winning and having fun, which probably means golf.
James has won four rings in his career, which has only been done by 44 players in NBA history. With one more he would move into an even more exclusive club. Only 26 players have ever won five or more titles. And 11 of those guys were basically all on the same Boston Celtics teams in the 60’s.
Right now it seems like he might head back to Cleveland. He’s famously from the area. He started his career there and played 11 of 23 seasons there so far. The Cavaliers just made the Eastern Conference Finals and analytically, they won most of the games in that series. It seems like the perfect combination.
Jan 28, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) brings the ball up court in the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images
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And yet some people are saying he would be chasing a ring by going there, as if trying to win a championship is a bad thing. It’s insane that in the modern era where “ring culture” rules everything, “ring chasing” is somehow a derogatory term. It’s almost like there’s nothing that can make everyone happy.
On “First Take” this morning, Kendrick Perkins, Vincent Goodwill and David Dennis Jr. discussed whether going to Cleveland counted as ring chasing after Rich Paul said that James would not be chasing a ring.
Meanwhile, over on FS1 Colin Cowherd was defending LeBron chasing rings like he was Sonic the Hedgehog.
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The truth is LeBron doesn’t need more money or rings or happiness. He’s had enough of all three for any person’s lifetime. The man is currently spending every day playing golf with his friends and family while people debate which font would make his flawless resume the most enjoyable read.
LeBron James is going to sign somewhere at some point. He’s going to do it on his terms and whichever team he chooses is going to bend over backwards thanking him for the opportunity. That team is going to go to the playoffs. That team is going to be competitive. It may not because of James, but it also won’t be in spite of him. He will work hard and contribute and if they fall short of a title everyone will consider it a personal disappointment for him.
Then a year from now we’ll be back here wondering if he’s going to play one more year. And if he decides he wants to chase another ring, no one has ever earned it as much as he has. Which is why he’ll get to keep doing it until he doesn’t want to do it anymore.