LeBron James will be playing his 24th NBA season, but not with the Los Angeles Lakers
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Tuesday that James told the franchise it can move on without him, and Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul confirmed the news ahead of the formal start of free agency.
BREAKING: LeBron James will continue his NBA career for the 2026-27 season and has informed the Los Angeles Lakers that the franchise can move on without him because he will play elsewhere, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul tells ESPN. pic.twitter.com/zzVk6xUVF1
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2026
James, who signed with the Lakers in the summer of 2018, played eight seasons with the franchise, winning an NBA title with the team in the 2020 COVID-19 bubble.
In the 2025-26 regular season, he averaged 20.9 points, 7.2 assists and 6.1 rebounds per game in 60 games, then upped those marks to 23.2 points, 7.3 assists and 6.3 rebounds per game in the playoffs.
The move comes as the Lakers have indicated a pivot to building around Luka Doncic moving forward, a priority reportedly conveyed to James a year ago.
At 41, James will be one of the most sought-after free agents on the market. Considering his age, insiders have said he may value a contender over a top paycheck.
There have been other clubs mentioned in recent publications, including the Golden State Warriors, who have suddenly become serious contenders after Draymond Green declined his player option to create salary cap space.
The Warriors are trying to sign LeBron James TODAY, per @WindhorstESPN pic.twitter.com/26ksbG34cM
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) June 30, 2026
There also has been talk of a possible return to Cleveland, where James had two spells earlier in his career.
James enters the 2026-27 season as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer and is first in several other regular season and postseason statistical categories.
Throughout his career, he has won four NBA championships, four Finals MVP, 22 All-Star selections and four regular season MVP honors.
The free agency negotiation period kicked underway Tuesday at 6 p.m. ET, with James likely to make his next move official when contracts can be signed starting July 6.
