LOS ANGELES– After being a member of the Purple and Gold for eight seasons, LeBron James has informed the Los Angeles Lakers he will play elsewhere next season.
“LeBron James is one of the greatest athletes in history,” longtime Lakers owner and governor Jeanie Buss said in a statement. “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. 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.”
Though he spent 11 seasons in total with the Cleveland Cavaliers – split between his first seven pro seasons and a four-year stint later after playing four seasons with the Miami Heat – James’ eight years with the Lakers were the longest continuous stretch he had with a team.
At 41, James will be returning for his unprecedented twenty fourth season. LeBron averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists in the regular season.
But for whom?
Top candidates include the Golden State Warriors, the Miami Heat and obviously, the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The duo of Luka Doncic and LeBron James did not yield super team results. Having James and Luka Dončić for a full season didn’t change much for the Lakers. They once again won 50-plus games before hitting their ceiling in the postseason. Even if Dončić had been on the floor, they wouldn’t have had enough to match the depth of the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
Now the Lakers will move forward with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves as the leaders of the franchise.
His accomplishments during his tenure as a Laker are numerous, but are overlooked, as well as underappreciated by a segment of Laker fans. First and foremost, he led the lakers to there seventeenth NBA championship in 2020.
The NBA suspended the 2019-20 season in March due to COVID-19 and developed a plan to resume and finish the season inside a “bubble” on a Disney property just outside of Orlando.
In a difficult situation in which the Lakers spent nearly three months in a restricted but protected environment, James led the Lakers to their 17th NBA championship. He averaged 29.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, 8.5 assists and 1.2 steals and shot 59.1% from the field and 41.7% on 3-pointers.
Since it was played under such difficult and insane circumstances, many reporters and NBA fans view it as a fake title. Hollow because there was no fans, the three month lay off and no home court advantage.
In addition, he broke the NBA All Time Scoring record. Surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 2023. It was a glorious moment for Laker Nation, as one Laker legend passed the torch, in what people(incluiding myself) consider this the greatest record of all sports.
Because of his remarkable longevity, durability and consistency, these lists in which he ranks at the top are numerous.
Thank you King James for your time as a Los Angeles Laker.
