Photo by NBA.com — http://www.nba.com/heat/roster/heat-bio-lebron-james

Even if you don’t follow sports, chances are you’ve heard the news. LeBron James is opting out of his contract with the Miami Heat.

LeBron James Opting Out of Miami Heat Contract

LeBron to Opt Out

Agent to Heat: LeBron Opting Out

His contract with the team included an early-termination option, and he’s decided to exercise it. On July 1, James will officially become a free agent. With that, comes the opportunity to sign with another team or renegotiate his deal with the Heat. But a renegotiation with the Heat wouldn’t be for more money—it’d be for more rings.

James, who’s worth $72.3 million according to Forbes, has won two N.B.A. championships with the Heat, and he’s hungry for more.

“For me, I just want to win. That’s all that matters to me,” James said earlier this month after the Heat’s last team meeting of the season.

By opting out of his contract with the Heat, he’s giving himself the flexibility to control his professional career. Because that’s what James is: a professional. An elite, multi-millionaire professional considered to be one of the best basketball players of all time, but a professional nonetheless. Just like you, and like me, and like millions of other people who get paid for their work. And he’s made the decision to put himself in a position that will offer him the best shot for success in his chosen court field.

Are you putting yourself in the best position for professional success? Takeisha Bobbitt, managing director for the American Association of People with Disabilities, made the same case with this article. She asked readers to consider what makes them loyal to their company and to their position. We’re curious, too.

Why do you do the job you do? Is it for the money, the benefits, the love of the work? Is your company investing in not only the success of itself, but the success of its employees—the success of you? Think about what motivates you. Think about where you see yourself in five years or ten years or twenty years. Will your current position help you get there? If not, maybe it’s time to opt out and start looking for new opportunities.