The best basketball player on the planet will be in a new uniform next year, as LeBron James has reportedly agreed to a four-year, 154 million dollar deal with the Los Angeles Lakers. He will have a player option in the fourth year.
The Klutch Sports Group was the first to detail the signing:
This move completely changes the landscape of the NBA. The Lakers already have loads of young talent in Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kozma, and Brandon Ingram, so the addition of LeBron only sweetens their chances of a playoff run. This is the biggest signing of the Lakers in recent memory, making James the greatest player to put on a Laker Uniform since Kobe Bryant.
Everyone in Los Angeles is celebrating right about now as inking James almost guarantees a trip to the Western Conference Finals, but will still have to go through the Warriors to make it to the championship series. His new teammates took to Twitter to give their opinions on the Lakers’ newest small forward:
Y’all really thought he was gonna pass up the greatest city in the world… #TheKingIsHere ?
— Lonzo Ball (@ZO2_) July 2, 2018
LAKESHOWWWW. @KingJames let’s go my brotha?? let’s rock
— kuz (@kylekuzma) July 2, 2018
The Black Mamba also gave his vote of approval:
Welcome to the family @KingJames #lakers4life #striveforgreatness @JeanieBuss @MagicJohnson and RP well done!!! ??
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) July 2, 2018
James was the most sought-after free agent before he agreed to his new contract, drawing interest from just about every team in the league. In his fifteen-year NBA career, he has been named MVP four times, an All-Star fourteen times, and been named to the All-NBA First Team a record twelve times.
Nicknamed “The King” by many, James has been the most recent superstar to relocate in hopes of chasing another ring. It became apparent last season that the Cavaliers didn’t have the pieces to make a legitimate run in the NBA Finals, so LeBron chose to leave Cleveland for the second time in 8 years.
This signing also paves the way for other stars to follow him to the city of angels. The “LeBron effect” has already taken place as it was announced that Kentavious Caldwell-Pope would re-sign with the Lakers seconds after the news broke about James’ decision.
Featured Image via Wikimedia Commons
