LeBron James is taking his talents elsewhere.
The basketball living legend and four-time NBA champion informed the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday — the first day of free agency — that he’s planning on playing for another team next season, James’s representative, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, told ESPN.
“James chose to inform the Lakers well before start of free agency tonight out of courtesy and appreciation for their run together, and to allow L.A. to conduct its offseason business,” reported ESPN’s Shams Charania, adding, “The Lakers expressed to James that they wanted him back, but the NBA’s all-time leading scorer decides to move on elsewhere.”
“LeBron James is one of the greatest athletes in history. We will always be thankful for his eight years with the Lakers — including the title he led us to in 2020 under the toughest imaginable circumstances and the countless records he broke in purple and gold,” Lakers governor Jeanie Buss said in a statement. “We wish him all the best in the future, both on the court and off. He will always be a cherished part of the Lakers family.”
James, 41, announced that he’d be leaving the Lakers one day after his son Bronny’s $2.3 million contract with the Lakers became fully guaranteed (despite only averaging 4.8 points per game in limited playing time at USC due to a congenital heart defect, James convinced the Lakers to draft his son in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft, which led to charges of nepotism).
