Fifteen years ago this week, the NBA changed forever. In a July 8 televised ESPN special dubbed "The Decision," LeBron James declared that he was taking his talents to South Beach

Windhorst continued his case by stating that the Lakers never asked James for additional years in their contract talks. As such, James' decision to pick up his player option for next season as opposed to opting out and signing a two-year deal with them might not be what he initially planned:

Read more: Mavericks' Interest in Acquiring LeBron James Receives Major Update During the 2024-25 NBA season with Los Angeles, James played in 70 games. He averaged 24.4 points, 8.2 assists, 7.8 rebounds, and a steal per game, while shooting 51.3 percent overall and 37.6 percent from three-point range.