It’s been 23 days and counting. And the NBA is still for LeBron James to make his decision.
His agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, has put out messages to teams suggesting they not wait for James and that they should fill their remaining roster spots.
Those messages came after NBA Commissioner Adam Silver expressed his desire for James to decide so schedule makers can determine the 2026-27 regular season, including important dates such as opening night and Christmas Day.
The idea is that James would be playing on those days, hence Silver’s desire to know which team he’ll choose. But James won’t be rushed, according to Paul.
It likely comes down to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers as the top three candidates to land James. However, the Golden State Warriors are not to be counted out yet.
The Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets also have been in the discussion. According to USA TODAY Sports’ Lorenzo Reyes, James has all the information he needs and is weighing his options.
USA TODAY Sports is tracking what’s happening behind-the-scenes for LeBron James’ next major basketball decision. Here’s the latest news, updates and rumors on Wednesday, July 22:
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
LeBron James, regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time, entered the NBA straight out of high school as the number one pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003. Take a look back at the four-time NBA champ’s career from high school to the Cavaliers, the Miami Heat, back to Cleveland, and most recently with the Los Angeles Lakers.
(Ronald Martinez, Getty Images)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
LeBron James, regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time, entered the NBA straight out of high school as the number one pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003. Take a look back at the four-time NBA champ’s career from high school to the Cavaliers, the Miami Heat, back to Cleveland, and most recently with the Los Angeles Lakers.
(Ronald Martinez, Getty Images)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers heads up court agaist the Washington Wizards in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2006 NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena on April 22, 2006 in Cleveland, Ohio.
(Gregory Shamus, Getty Images)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers gets in for a first quarter break away dunk in front of Antonio McDyess #24 of the Detroit Pistons in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2009 NBA Playoffs at the Palace of Auburn Hills on April 26, 2009.
(Gregory Shamus, Getty Images)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
LeBron James #23 and Sasha Pavlovic #3 of the Cleveland Cavaliers celebrate after James made the game winning three pointer against the Orlando Magic in Game Two of the Eastern Conference Finals.
(Gregory Shamus, Getty Images)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
LeBron James and ESPN’s Jim Gray speak at the LeBron James’ announcement of his decision to play for the Miami Heat at the Boys & Girls Club of America on July 8, 2010 in Greenwich, Connecticut.
(Larry Busacca, Getty Images for Estabrook Group)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
LeBron James #6 of the Miami Heat greets fans as he is introduced during a welcome party at American Airlines Arena on July 9, 2010 in Miami, Florida.
(Doug Benc, Getty Images)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
Chris Bosh #1, Dwyane Wade #3, and LeBron James #6 of the Miami Heat are introduced to fans during a welcome party at American Airlines Arena on July 9, 2010 in Miami, Florida.
(Doug Benc, Getty Images)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
LeBron James #6 of the Miami Heat dunks during a game against the Washington Wizards at American Airlines Arena on November 29, 2010 in Miami, Florida.
(Mike Ehrmann, Getty Images)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
LeBron James #6 of the Miami Heat sits on the court as court attendants mop up liquid agaisnt the Dallas Mavericks in the second half of Game Three of the 2011 NBA Finals at American Airlines Center on June 5, 2011.
(Ronald Martinez, Getty Images)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
July 17, 2013: LeBron James and Savannah Brinson attend the 2013 ESPY Awards at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live.
(Christopher Polk/ Getty Images for ESPY)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
Dec. 20, 2013: LeBron James (6) salutes before a game against the Sacramento Kings at American Airlines Arena.
(Steve Mitchell, USA TODAY Sports)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
Feb 27, 2014: LeBron James (6) puts on his protective mask during the first half against the New York Knicks at American Airlines Arena.
(Steve Mitchell, USA TODAY Sports)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
June 5, 2014: LeBron James (6) dunks the ball during the first quarter against against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 of the 2014 NBA Finals at AT&T Center.
(Soobum Im, USA TODAY Sports)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
June 15, 2014: San Antonio, TX, USA; LeBron James (6) and Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra react on the sideline during the fourth quarter against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the 2014 NBA Finals at AT&T Center.
(Bob Donnan, USA TODAY Sports)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
Sep. 26, 2014: Kevin Love (0), forward LeBron James (23) and guard Kyrie Irving (2) pose for a photo during media day at Cleveland Clinic Courts.
(Ken Blaze, USA TODAY Sports)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
Oct 30, 2014: Traffic backs up outside of Quicken Loans Arena where a new LeBron James mural was installed.
(David Richard, USA TODAY Sports)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
Nov 14, 2014: LeBron James (23) dunks the ball against the Boston Celtics during the first half at TD Garden.
(Mark L. Baer, USA TODAY Sports)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
Dec. 25, 2014: Dwyane Wade sizes up LeBron James during a game at American Airlines Arena.
(Mike Ehrmann, Getty Images)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
Apr 23, 2015: LeBron James (23) dunks against the Boston Celtics during the second half in Game 3 of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at TD Garden.
(David Butler II, USA TODAY Sports)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
June 16, 2015: LeBron James (23) walks off the court after losing to the Golden State Warriors in Game 6 of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena.
(Bob Donnan, USA TODAY Sports)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
March 10, 2016: LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers jokes with Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers during a 120-108 Cavaliers win at Staples Center.
(Harry How, Getty Images)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
June 8, 2016: LeBron James goes up for a dunk during Game 3 of the NBA Finals against Golden State.
(Pool Photo, USA TODAY Sports)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
June 19, 2016: LeBron James and Kevin Love celebrate after defeating Golden State in Game 7 of the NBA Finals for the first championship in Cavaliers history.
(Ezra Shaw, Getty Images)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
June 19, 2016: LeBron James (23) celebrates with Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy after beating the Golden State Warriors in game seven of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena.
(Gary A. Vasquez, USA TODAY Sports)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
June 12, 2017: LeBron James goes up for a layup over Kevin Durant during Game 5 of the NBA Finals against Golden State.
(Kyle Terada, USA TODAY Sports)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
Dec. 17, 2017: LeBron James wears special “Equality” shoes during a win over the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena in Washington D.C.
(Brad Mills, USA TODAY Sports)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
Jan. 23, 2018: LeBron James celebrates after scoring his 30,000 career point in a game against the San Antonio Spurs. James is the seventh player in NBA history to reach the 30,000-point milestone.
(Soobum Im, USA TODAY Sports)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
February 18, 2018: LeBron James celebrates a victory against Team Stephen following the NBA All-Star Game.
(Bob Donnan, USA TODAY Sports)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
Sept. 24, 2018: LeBron James speaks to media at UCLA Health Training Center before his first season with the Los Angeles Lakers.
(Gary A. Vasquez, USA TODAY Sports)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
Jan. 25, 2020: James continued him ascent up the career scoring list, passing Lakers legend Kobe Bryant for third place.
(Bill Streicher, USA TODAY Sports)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
Jan. 25, 2020: After passing Bryant, James even got a standing ovation in Philadelphia, Bryant’s hometown.
(Bill Streicher, USA TODAY Sports)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
Jan. 31, 2020: LeBron James reacts during the national anthem after a pregame tribute to Kobe Bryant before playing the Portland Trail Blazers at Staples Center.
(Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY Sports)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
Oct. 11, 2020: LeBron James smiles while holding the NBA Finals and MVP trophies after Game 6 of the 2020 NBA Finals at AdventHealth Arena. The Los Angeles Lakers won 106-93 to win the series against the Miami Heat.
(Kim Klement, USA TODAY Sports)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
May 30, 2021: LeBron James (23) dunks for a basket against the Phoenix Suns during the second half in game four of the first round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs at Staples Center.
(Gary A. Vasquez, USA TODAY Sports)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
Dec. 15, 2021: LeBron James (6) celebrates the win over the Dallas Mavericks during overtime at the American Airlines Center.
(Jerome Miron, USA TODAY Sports)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
Feb. 7, 2023: LeBron James celebrates with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar after breaking the record for all-time scoring in the NBA against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Crypto.com Arena.
(Gary A. Vasquez, USA TODAY Sports)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
March 2, 2024 : Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James acknowledges the crowd after scoring his 40,000th career point against the Denver Nuggets at Crypto.com Arena in Denver.
(Jayne Kamin-Oncea, USA TODAY Sports)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
Oct. 22, 2024: LeBron James #23 and Bronny James #9 of the Los Angeles Lakers on defense during the second quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
(Harry How, Getty Images)
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LeBron James: See his rise from high school basketball standout to NBA legend
April 4, 2025: LeBron James #23 and Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers shake hands against the New Orleans Pelicans during the second quarter at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
(Luke Hales, Getty Images)
Could LeBron really wait until August?
08:21 AM ET, July 22 2026, Marcus D. Smith
Remember back in May when LeBron James said his decision might not come until late-July, early-August? Well, we’re slowly entering that territory. The timeframe James, himself, provided us is creeping up.
ClutchPoints reporter Brett Siegel made a good point about a potential James announcement in August. He noted that Anthony Davis becomes extension eligible on Aug. 6.
Siegel said it’s “just something to keep in mind” in case LeBron James hasn’t made his announcement yet.”
This is important because if the decision hasn’t come before Davis’s extension eligibility then there would be reason to believe that Davis could force his way out of Washington and to Golden State in a potential trade that could ultimately attract James to the Bay Area.
LeBron to Miami heats up after YouTube leak
07:45 AM ET, July 22 2026, Marcus D. Smith
Although it reportedly was an accidental post, the Miami Heat YouTube channel seems to be gearing up for a LeBron James reunion.
The organization’s social media department leaked a live stream video titled “LeBron James Introductory Press Conference” dated for July 27, 2026.
In the video description it mentioned it was a introductory press conference welcoming back James. The live stream was quickly made private.
Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang, who covers the Heat, reported the Heat’s social media department mistakenly made the stream public, but maintained they are only prepping the video if James chooses Miami.
“It was a mistake by the Heat’s social media department while preparing for the possibility of LeBron picking the Heat. But there is no validity to it right now,” Chiang said on X.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Latest LeBron James free agency news, rumors, updates on ‘Decision’
