LeBron James, the "living legend" of the National Basketball Association (NBA), is expected to leave the Los Angeles Lakers and start the new season with a new team.
Sports outlet ESPN reported Monday, Korea time, that "James will become the first player in NBA history to begin a 24th season with a team other than the Lakers," adding that "he has informed the Lakers organization of his decision to part ways."
Lakers owner Jeanie Buss also delivered a farewell message on the Lakers' official X account, formerly Twitter: "James is one of the greatest players in history. I will always be grateful that he spent the past eight years with the Lakers, leading us to the 2020 championship title and setting numerous records." In response, James said, "It was a true honor to wear the Lakers uniform. I hope I made you proud for at least a few of the minutes I was there."
James, who debuted in the NBA in the 2003-2004 season, has appeared in 1,622 games and scored an all-time record of 43,440 points. He has won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award four times and captured four championship rings. After playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Miami Heat, he joined the Lakers in 2018 and led the team to the championship title in 2020. At 41, the oldest active player, James was limited to 60 games last season due to injury, but still demonstrated his competitiveness with regular-season averages of 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists.
In the United States, the Cavaliers, the Heat, and the Golden State Warriors, home to Stephen Curry, are cited as leading candidates for his next destination. ESPN reported that Golden State is considering building a super-powered lineup by acquiring Anthony Davis (Washington Wizards), James's former Lakers teammate, through a trade.
