LeBron James Reportedly Set to Leave Los Angeles Lakers

LeBron James looks set to leave the Los Angeles Lakers, with ESPN reporting he has told the team he will leave the team and continue his NBA career elsewhere.

James, who will turn 42 during the 2026-27 season, won an NBA championship with the Lakers in 2020, two years after he joined. His longtime representative, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, said that he is not retiring.

“LeBron James is one of the greatest athletes in history,” said Jeanie Buss, part of the Lakers’ ownership group. “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.”

Reports on Monday indicated the Golden State Warriors are looking to sign James, setting up a union with his old rivals Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, whom James battled in the NBA finals as a member of the Cavaliers for four staright seasons from 2015 to 2018. The Warriors are also understood to be looking at signing Anthony Davis. The window for free agency negotiation opens at 6pm ET on Tuesday. Players cannot sign with a new team until the league’s offseason moratorium is lifted on 6 July.

Green has not exercised his $27.6m option for this coming season in large part to allow his team flexibility to make 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 on 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.”

It could be the move that convinces James to go to Golden State. He also has close relationships with Green, Curry and Warriors coach Steve Kerr.

James is a 22-time All-Star, claiming the honor every year from 2005 to 2026 and has been league MVP four times, a total bettered only by Michael Jordan, Bill Russell and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. James’s longevity – and brilliance – means he owns a host of NBA records, including most minutes played, most points scored and most All-Star appearances.

Across his career he has averaged 26.8 points per game, 7.5 rebounds and 7.4 assists. He has also played long enough that last season his eldest son, Bronny, became his teammate at the Lakers.