Bettors Wager It’s Time for LeBron James to Retire
Posted on: December 11, 2025, 01:10h.
Last updated on: December 11, 2025, 01:53h.
- LeBron James and Tiger Woods share a December 31 birthday
- 75% of bets in Ontario FanDuel’s novelty market are on James to retire before next season
- Woods has been frustrated by his slow recovery from back surgery
Lebron James and Tiger Woods share a lot in common: both are titans in their respective sports, James a four-time NBA MVP with four NBA titles and 21 all-star selections, and Woods with 15 major golf championship wins (second only to Jack Nicklaus), and wins in 82 official PGA Tour events.
Both are in the news of late for similar reasons – Father Time. Both have birthdays on December 31, with Woods, who’s about to turn 50, recovering from the latest of seven spinal procedures (a disc replacement), along with surgeries on both knees, operations on his Achilles tendon, and leg fractures following his 2021 SUV crash. A member of the LA Lakers, James, meanwhile, will turn 41 while playing in his 23rd NBA season.
Woods, who has played a limited schedule for the past few years, hasn’t officially retired from the PGA, and gave a news conference last week updating people on his health.
“It [surgery] was a good thing to do, something I needed to have happen, and it just takes time and dedication to the rehab process,” said Woods. “It [recovery] is not as fast as I’d like it to be.”
Woods added that he’s not able to work out as much as he’d like following his disc replacement, but hopes that will change soon.
“Not able to do much on a disc replacement to let it set. Can’t really do much. Now we got the OK to start cranking up a little bit in the gym, started strengthening, and started doing a little bit more of the rotational component that I haven’t been able to do,” he said.
The Ravages of Father Time
James, meanwhile, played in the NBA Cup quarterfinals on Wednesday night where the Lakers (17-7) were outgunned by the San Antonio Spurs, losing 132-119, a game that more than anything exposed the Lakers as a team clearly not at the same level of teams like the Oklahoma Thunder (24-1) and the Denver Nuggets (17-6).
James, for the first time in his career, playing second fiddle to another superstar (Luka Doncic), finished the game with 19 points, 15 rebounds, and 8 assists.
James hasn’t indicated if this is his final season, and he’s certainly not playing like someone looking forward to more time on the golf course with his son. The only thing James has said publicly is that he knows the end of his playing days are coming “a lot sooner than later.”
FanDuel Offers James Retirement Market
FanDuel in Ontario knows a good novelty market when they see it. The “Lebron James Announce Retirement by 2026-27 Season” market has odds currently set at -280 for “Yes” vs. +210 for “No.”
James is averaging 16.5 points per game, 6.0 rebounds, 7.6 assists, and a 46.8% field goal percentage this season for the Lakers.
According to a FanDuel spokesperson, 75% of bets are on James to retire before the start of next season.
Danny Green, the former NBA guard who played with James for two seasons, both on the Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers, said he expects James to retire at the end of this season.
Green was speaking after the Lakers beat the 76ers on Sunday night, scoring 29 points in a 112-108 win.
He’s showing that he’s coming over the hill,” said Green. “Just by his body movement. He had a great game tonight, shot it well, got hot. And if it’s going to take for him to take a rest day every time to feel fresh, they’ll probably have to sit him on back-to-backs, which is fine. … I just don’t see him making it to Year 24. I think this is it and we need to appreciate it.”
James missed the first 14 games of this season with a sciatica nerve issue.
“You could just tell, his body — he looked like he’s not going to want to go through another summer of training and doing a preseason again for next year,” said Green. “So I just don’t see a Season 24 happening.”
Thunder Dominating the NBA
While James and the Lakers may appear to be struggling, the Oklahoma Thunder are dominating the league and are +100 a FanDuel to win the title. Other contenders include the Denver Nuggets at +750, the Houston Rockets at +1100, the NY Knicks at +1300, the Cavaliers at +1600, and the Lakers at +2000.
At DraftKings, it’s the Thunder +120, Nuggets +650, Rockets +1000, Lakers +1300, and Knicks +1400.
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