LeBron James agrees to join Los Angeles Lakers on four-year £116m deal

The 33-year-old forward leaves the Cavaliers to join an iconic franchise that has won 16 NBA titles

Three-time NBA champion LeBron James bid farewell to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday after agreeing to a four-year $154m (£116m) contract with the Los Angeles Lakers.

The 33-year-old forward leaves the Cavaliers to join an iconic franchise that has won 16 NBA titles but is rebuilding after posting a losing record for five consecutive seasons.

“Thank you north-east Ohio for an incredible four seasons,” the four-time NBA most valuable player wrote on Instagram. ”This will always be home.”

His agency, the Klutch Sports Group, later revealed he was heading for Los Angeles.

The decision by the game’s best all-round player to leave his native Ohio for Los Angeles will make the Lakers an instant contender in the Western Conference, where the Golden State Warriors have won three of the last four NBA titles, defeating Cleveland each time.

Originally signed by the Cavaliers in 2003, James left Cleveland in 2010 to join the Miami Heat and led them to four consecutive NBA Finals, winning in 2012 and 2013.

James returned home to the Cavaliers the next season and ended a championship drought for Cleveland with the NBA title in 2016.

But despite claiming the Eastern Conference crown for a fourth straight year, James was given a blunt reminder of how far short the Cavaliers are of a championship calibre team when they were swept 4-0 by the Warriors in the 2018 Finals.

Speculation about James’ future began in advance of last season with the 76ers and Rockets rumoured to be suitors, while the Cavaliers had hoped to keep him in Cleveland.

The Knicks and Clippers were also mentioned as possible destinations but in the end James opted for Los Angeles, who are run by former Lakers great Magic Johnson.

Reuters