James thanks Lakers as free agency looms after eight seasons

LeBron James has thanked the Los Angeles Lakers after the team publicly wished him well ahead of NBA free agency, Reuters reported. The exchange signals a likely end to his eight-season run in Los Angeles, where he won the 2020 championship and added to one of basketball’s most decorated careers.

James replied on social media to a message from Lakers Governor Jeanie Buss, who called him “one of the greatest athletes in history” and praised his time with the franchise, according to Reuters. “No, THANK YOU!” James wrote, adding that it had been an honor to wear the Lakers’ colors while trying to carry on the club’s history.

The four-time NBA champion also wrote that he hoped he had made “a few proud” during his stint with the team, Reuters reported. The NBA’s free agency period was scheduled to open later Tuesday, putting James’s next team at the center of league attention.

End of a Lakers chapter

James joined the Lakers in 2018 after earlier spells with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat, according to Reuters. He led Los Angeles to the 2020 NBA title during the Covid-19 pandemic, giving the franchise another championship in a season played under unusual restrictions.

Buss said in her post that the Lakers would remain grateful for James’s eight years with the organization, Reuters reported. She cited the 2020 title and the records he set while playing in purple and gold, and said he would remain a “cherished” member of the Lakers family.

James, 41, has continued to play at a high level despite being deep into a career that began in 2003, Reuters reported. In February, he received his 22nd consecutive All-Star selection, extending a league record.

Reuters also reported that James surpassed Robert Parish’s mark for most regular-season games played last March. He is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer and has been named NBA Finals Most Valuable Player four times.

A career built across three franchises

The Cavaliers selected James with the first overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, according to Reuters. He spent seven seasons in Cleveland before announcing during a televised special, “The Decision,” that he would leave for Miami.

Reuters reported that the move hurt James’s standing with many fans in Cleveland, where some people burned replica No. 23 jerseys after the announcement. In Miami, he joined Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, and the trio won two NBA championships in four seasons.

James later returned to Cleveland and delivered the Cavaliers’ first NBA title in 2016, Reuters reported. Cleveland overcame a 3-1 Finals deficit against the Golden State Warriors, and James remains the franchise leader in nearly every major statistical category.

He left Cleveland again two years later to sign with the Lakers, marking his first move to the Western Conference, according to Reuters. His Los Angeles tenure also included a family milestone: in October 2024, James and his son Bronny became the first father and son to appear together in a regular-season NBA game.

Reuters reported that playing alongside Bronny had long been one of James’s stated basketball goals. With free agency opening, the next phase of his 24th NBA season is now unresolved.

This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.