LOS ANGELES: Basketball all star LeBron James has agreed to join the Los Angeles Lakers on a four-year deal worth $154 million, Klutch Sports Group, his agency, announced.
ESPN, however, reports that James, who became a free agent on 1 July and is widely considered the best basketball player in the world, has actually signed on to a $153.3 million contract.
ESPN further reported that the fourth year is a player option. It’s the longest deal James has signed since inking a six-year contract (which he broke after four years) with the Miami Heat in 2010. His previous three deals were three years or shorter.
The immediate target for James would naturally be to try and bring the storied franchise another championship. A long way down the road, considering that the Lakers were not even in the top 8 on standings of the Western Conference for the 2017-28 season.
For a franchise whose rosters have included some of the game’s greatest players, including Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kobe Bryant, that is quite a fall from grace.
Last month, the 33-year-old sports superstar played in his eighth consecutive NBA finals, losing to Golden State Warriors.
“Thank you Northeast Ohio for an incredible four seasons,” the four-time NBA Most Valuable Player said on his Instagram account. “This will always be home.”
The massive Los Angeles market will also provide James with a grander platform for his philanthropy and social activism. He already owns two homes in Southern California and has a film production company, AP reports.
The three-time NBA champion was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003 as the first pick in the NBA draft and established himself as one of the league’s best players. He was named the NBA’s most valuable player in 2009 and 2010 and controversially moved to Miami in 2010.
James won his first NBA title in 2012 and added a second championship the following year.
He then opted out of the final two years of his Miami contract and returned to Cleveland.
James helped Cleveland to their first NBA title in 2016, as they overturned a 3-1 deficit in the NBA finals to beat Golden State.
Cleveland’s success also ended the city’s 52-year wait for a major sporting title.
