Like many others, Adam Silver would like to know which team LeBron James will be playing for next season.
The NBA commissioner’s desire to know James’s destination isn’t a matter of impatience, but rather practicality, as it will play a significant role in shaping the 2026-27 schedule for both the league and its media partners.
“Where LeBron plays will affect the schedule,” Silver said at the CNBC Sport x Boardroom Game Plan Summit on Thursday. “So I would like him to make his announcement already, so we can finish the schedule, because, as you might imagine, the teams are calling us, the networks are calling us, and everybody wants to lock in the schedule. But it will influence how we set the schedule, how we set opening week, Christmas Day, etc. So I need him to make a decision.”
The commissioner added that he has “no inside information” regarding which team James will ultimately sign with, although he said he does have his own “inkling,” which he wasn’t willing to publicly disclose.
In many ways, Silver’s concern regarding the schedule is understandable. Whether he was playing for the Cavaliers, Heat, or Lakers, James’s teams have been a staple of the NBA’s national TV package since he first entered the league in 2003.
