LeBron James to leave Lakers for 24th NBA season

LeBron James will leave the Los Angeles Lakers after eight seasons and continue his record-setting NBA career elsewhere, the team confirmed, ending a tenure that included a championship, historic milestones and the league’s first father-son teammates.

The 41-year-old free agent, who will turn 42 during the 2026-27 season, is not retiring, his longtime representative, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, told The Guardian. It is not yet clear where James will play next. The NBA’s free agency negotiation window opens at 6 p.m. ET on Tuesday, and players cannot sign with a new team until the league’s offseason moratorium is lifted on July 6.

Lakers governor Jeanie Buss thanked James in a statement marking his departure.

“LeBron James is one of the greatest athletes in history,” Buss said. “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.”

James responded to the Lakers’ post on X with his own message of thanks.

“No, THANK YOU,” James wrote. “Truly a honor to wear the [purple and gold] while trying to [continue] the greatness & legacies that came before me! Hope I made a few proud during my stint.”

James joined the Lakers as a free agent before the 2018-19 season and led the franchise to its 17th NBA title in the pandemic-altered 2019-20 season. During his time in Los Angeles, he became the NBA’s all-time leader in points scored, games played and seasons played. He has been selected as an NBA All-Star a record 22 times, earning the honor every year from 2005 to 2026, and has won four league MVP awards, a total topped only by Michael Jordan, Bill Russell and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, according to The Guardian.

Across his career, James has averaged 26.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game. His Lakers tenure also included a family milestone: on opening night of the 2024-25 season, James and his son Bronny took the court together, becoming the first father-son duo in NBA history. Bronny, drafted by the Lakers in 2024, has since become part of Los Angeles’ player rotation.

Reports on Monday indicated the Golden State Warriors are looking to sign James, The Guardian reported, which would pair him with former Finals rivals Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. James faced Curry and Green in four straight NBA Finals from 2015 to 2018 while playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Warriors are also understood to be looking at signing Anthony Davis.

Green has not exercised his $27.6 million option for the coming season, in large part to give Golden State flexibility for other roster moves.

“Personally, I’m always willing to work with the team on whatever is best, especially at this point in my career,” Green said Tuesday. “So my decision to opt out was for a few reasons. As you all know, I’ve always taken the approach of working with the organization. I’ve been in one place for 14 years. It’s more of a family to me than anything.”

James entered the NBA as the No. 1 overall pick by his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003 after appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated as “The Chosen One” while in high school in Akron, Ohio. He reached the 2007 NBA Finals with Cleveland, won two titles with the Miami Heat alongside Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, then returned to the Cavaliers and led them to four straight Finals appearances. Cleveland won the 2015-16 championship after coming back from a 3-1 deficit against Golden State, the first such comeback in Finals history.

The Lakers now move forward around Luka Doncic, acquired last year in a major trade from the Dallas Mavericks and signed to a three-year extension in 2025. Doncic paid tribute to James on Instagram, writing, “An honor to play with and learn from you.”