LOS ANGELES: LeBron James, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, will return for an unprecedented 24th season but not with the Los Angeles Lakers. Lakers owner Jeanie Buss thanked James in a statement for his eight years with the club, confirming multiple media reports that the 41-year-old superstar had told the team he was leaving. “LeBron James is one of the greatest athletes in history,” Buss wrote in a statement posted on the Lakers’ X account.

James joined the Lakers in 2018 on a four-year, $153.3 million contract.

LeBron James will not be back with the Los Angeles Lakers and plans to play a record-extending 24th NBA season elsewhere.