LeBron James leaving Lakers, reportedly plans to return for 24th NBA season with a new team
LeBron James is running it back, but not with the Los Angeles Lakers.
According to ESPN's Shams Charania, James has informed the Lakers he will look to play elsewhere for the 2026-27 season.
The news quells speculation that James would retire at the end of the 2025-26 campaign at 41 years old. Per Charania, James spoke with Lakers president Rob Pelinka about his decision before the start of free agency Tuesday night "out of courtesy and appreciation for their run together."
The Lakers shared a message from team president Jeanie Buss on X Tuesday, thanking James for his eight years with the team:
"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. 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."
Despite his age and the advanced basketball miles on his body, James averaged 20.9 points, 7.2 assists and 6.1 rebounds in 60 games as one of the most productive players in the league. Alongside Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, James helped lead the Los Angeles Lakers to the No. 4 seed in a stacked Western Conference.
With Dončić and Reaves each sidelined for at least part of the Lakers' first-round series against the Houston Rockets, James took over to lead Los Angeles to a 4-2 win. But the Lakers fell in the second round via a four-game sweep by the Oklahoma City Thunder. With James out and Reaves on a new max contract, the Lakers enter a new era with Dončić at the helm.
Where will LeBron James sign in free agency?
The NBA's free agency negotiation window opens up Tuesday, June 30 at 6 p.m. ET, and there will be no shortage of interest in James' services.
The Golden State Warriors are "at the front of the line in pursuit of LeBron James," per NBA insider Marc Stein. ESPN's Shams Charania reported on Monday that the Warriors had a goal to assemble a "big four" of James, Stephen Curry , Draymond Green and Anthony Davis, who currently plays for the Washington Wizards. Despite reports from ESPN's Brian Windhorst that a trade for Davis is now looking less likely, the Warriors remain in pursuit.
There has also been some speculation that James could opt to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers to potentially close out his career with his hometown team, where he played the first seven years of his career and won his third NBA title in 2016. The Cavs reportedly have interest in a second reunion with James, according to insider Chris Haynes. James is the Cavs' all-time leader in points (23, 119), rebounds (6,190), assists (6,228) and steals (1,376).
Earlier this week, Cavs star James Hardendeclined his $42.3 million player option to work on a new, multi-year contract.
The Warriors are current favorites to land James in free agency with -500 odds per DraftKings, with the Cavaliers at +300, Heat at +1000 and Spurs at +2000.
What is left for James to accomplish?
James is a four-time NBA champion, four-time MVP and a 22-time All-Star. He passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA's all-time scoring leader in 2023. He's ranked fourth all-time in assists and 23rd all-time in rebounding. Nobody has played more NBA basketball than James. Nobody has more total wins.
The only item of significance left for James to achieve in the NBA would be to tie or pass his legacy rival Michael Jordan's total of six NBA championships. With his age-42 season approaching, that prospect is a long shot at best.
Meanwhile, a younger group of superstars, including perennial MVP Victor Wembanyama, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokić, have supplanted James at the top of the league.
But James remains an All-Star-level contributor and a proven winner who can make a difference. And he'll continue his run of unprecedented longevity and production through the 2026-27 season.
