As the Golden State Warriors head into the 2025-26 season, much is at stake regarding their current two-year championship window with their veteran core.
Yet, their pursuit of another championship will begin against an organization in a very different situation, the Los Angeles Lakers, as Lebron James will set the record for most NBA seasons played on the very first night of the season.
Lakers forward LeBron James is scheduled to begin his 23rd NBA season on opening night.
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) August 12, 2025
He is set to pass Vince Carter for the most seasons played in league history. https://t.co/kgJ4fyZ6tQ pic.twitter.com/OAWTVsNuH3
James and the Warriors have a long history, having faced off in the NBA Finals four separate times from 2015-18. and now one of the greatest players in league history will have the opportunity to begin what could be his last season with another excellent matchup.
This could be one of the last times Warriors fans will see Lebron
As fans await the full NBA schedule release later this week, only two marquee matchups have been set for Golden State: their matchup with the Lakers on opening night and their matchup with the Dallas Mavericks on Christmas Day.
Obviously, both of these will be must-see games for fans of the Warriors. Last season, Golden State went 1-3 against Los Angeles, losing their Christmas Day matchup on a last-second shot from Austin Reaves. At the time, this signified the continuation of a downslide for the team: one that they did not recover from until their acquisiton of Jimmy Butler.
Yet, as the Warriors enter the new season excited to see what their new veteran trio can accomplish in a full year together, the Lakers still have many questions to answer.
After signing Luka Doncic to a three-year, $165 million contract extension that will put him in an upper echelon upon its expiration, the team has now committed their future as well as their offense to a player that is not James.
While this led to some rumors that James might request a trade this offseason, the real breaking point will come at the end of this season when Lebron's two-year, $101 million contract expires. As Los Angeles attempts to build a contender around Doncic, James could be seen as undesirable as he continues to age.
Therefore, while James has shown no concrete signs to this point that he is considering retirement after this season (and it is incredibly likely that he would want a farewell tour for his final season), the Warriors will still get an opportunity to spoil history as they attempt to start the regular season off on the right foot.