LeBron James is returning to the NBA for a 24th season in 2026-27, but he’s already informed the Los Angeles Lakers that he plans on playing for another team.
ESPN’s Shams Charania was the first to report this story early Tuesday afternoon. Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul informed Charania of the news.
“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 team president 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 replied to the post from the franchise’s X account (formerly Twitter):
“No, THANK YOU! Truly [an] honor to wear the [purple and gold] while trying to continuing the greatness & legacies that came before me! Hope I made a few proud during my stint.”
The 41-year-old James played an average of 33.2 minutes per game in 60 regular-season contests for the Lakers this past year. He averaged 20.9 points, 7.2 assists, 6.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game. James made 51.5 percent of his field-goal attempts, 31.7 percent of his 3-pointers and 73.7 percent of his free throws.
The Lakers earned the #4 seed in the Western Conference, but they were without Luka Doncic (33.5 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 7.7 APG) for the entire postseason. Also, Austin Reaves (23.3 PPG, 5.5 APG, 4.7 RPG) missed the first four games of their first-round matchup against the Houston Rockets.
Nevertheless, the Lakers advanced to the West semifinals when James erupted for 28 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in a 98-78 win at Houston in Game 6. He averaged 23.2 points, 7.3 assists, 7.2 rebounds and 1.3 SPG in the series.
The Lakers were swept in four games by Oklahoma City, though. James averaged 23.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.3 SPG against the Thunder.
Free agency begins tonight at 6:00 p.m. Eastern. According to NBA insider Marc Stein, Golden State is “at the front of the line in pursuit of LeBron James.”
As of 3:27 p.m. Eastern, BetOnline had the Warriors as -400 ‘chalk’ to retain James’s services. The Cavaliers had the next-shortest odds at +175, followed by the Heat (+800 or 8/1), the Celtics (10/1), Spurs (12/1) and Nuggets (16/1).
James is a 22-time All-Star, four-time NBA champion and four-time MVP. He won his most recent NBA title with the Lakers during the 2019-20 campaign that ended in the COVID bubble down in Orlando. During his 1,622-game career in the regular season, he’s averaged 26.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 1.5 SPG.
James will turn 42 in December.