(CNN) — NBA superstar LeBron James agreed to a two-year extension to his contract with the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday, in a deal worth $97.1 million, according to multiple reports, including ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
With the new contract, the 37-year-old reaches $532 million guaranteed in his career, making him the highest-paid player in salary terms in league history, surpassing Brooklyn Nets star, Kevin Durant.
The deal includes a player option for the 2024/25 season, which means LeBron James will be able to opt out of the final year of the contract if he doesn’t want to stay with the team.
CNN has contacted the Lakers to confirm the new contract.
The new deal ends any notion of James, already a billionaire, being a free agent next year and the four-time NBA champion and MVP focusing on making more history with the Lakers.
The new season begins Oct. 18, and if he stays injury-free, James should be on his way to overtaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.
James averaged 30.3 points per game in 56 appearances last season, despite the Lakers missing the playoffs in a rough season.
However, the franchise now has the salary flexibility to add another max-contract player to the team, potentially bolstering an all-star roster that already features the likes of James, Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis.
