LeBron James’ future is up in the air heading into the 2026-27 season, with one half of the basketball community convinced he’s done with pro ball and the other believing he has at least one more year left in the tank. Even among the latter, opinions are split. Some expect another season in Los Angeles, while others, like Ochocinco, believe a homecoming could be on the cards once again.
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James left the Cavs twice in his career, but could return to the franchise it all began for a third and final time before hanging up his boots in ’27. The problem? The Cavs are a second string team where James could earn only a veteran’s minimum salary. That’s not enough for one of the richest athletes in the world.
The solution? The farewell tour streaming situation, which the NBA could dish out a lot of money for. And James, of course, would be getting a huge slice of the pie.
Shannon Sharpe, on his podcast, revealed that James could get somewhere between $45-70 million dollars for his farewell tour. He would still get the approximately $3.6 million figure that a vet with 10+ years of service would get. On top of that, the marketing royalties he’d bag from it being his last ever NBA season would undoubtedly make him the highest paid athlete in the world.
“I like that,” Ochocinco, also known as Chad Johnson replied to Sharpe’s revelation. “Not only would he get a farewell, you get a vet minimum but you have so much going on off the court.”
That, combined with the fact that James would have the likes of Donovan Mitchell and James Harden alongside him in a bid to challenge for a fifth ring, makes it an opportunity that is difficult to turn down, at least as far as Ochocinco is concerned.
“I can make the decision for LeBron,” Johnson continued. “This could be the decision 2.0. I can tell you LeBron is going to Cleveland, and it’s gonna happen. I like it, it makes sense to me… Back home to where it all started.”
Shannon Sharpe and Chad Ochocinco react to reports that LeBron James might sign with the cavs on the vet minimum next season and still be the highest-paid athlete in the world due to the intense bidding war for streaming rights to his farewell tour. pic.twitter.com/ikuIEAMQQr
— joebuddenclips/fanpage (@chatnigga101) February 19, 2026
James has not spoken much about his future anymore, and there’s honestly a high probability of him retiring after the current season ends. But truly, a championship with Cleveland would mark a fairytale ending to a legendary career.
