Akron native LeBron James isn't done with Hollywood.
St. Vincent-St. Mary High School graduate James agreed to a two-year, $104 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, The Athletic reported Wednesday. James will have a no-trade clause and a player option for next summer, meaning he could become a free agent then, according to the report.
James remaining in LA had been expected, especially after the Lakers drafted his oldest son, Bronny, in the second round (No. 55 overall) on June 27. Although James declined his $51.4 million player option this past weekend, he did it with the intent to reach a new deal with the Lakers.
The decision to stay put means James will play his 22nd NBA season as a member of the Lakers, who originally signed him in 2018 after his second tour with the Cavaliers. James will enter his seventh season with the Lakers in October. This time, he'll have the eldest of his three children as a teammate. James spent 11 seasons with the Cavs and another four with the Miami Heat before entering the LA chapters of his illustrious career.
Back on May 13, it would have been natural for Cleveland sports fans to imagine James wearing a Cavs jersey again as he sat courtside for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Nevertheless, James is staying in Lakers purple and gold and will play for new coach JJ Redick. James and Redick had been co-hosting a podcast called "Mind the Game" in the buildup to the Lakers hiring Redick on June 20.
Drafted first overall by the Cavs in 2003, the 39-year-old James is a four-time NBA champion, the league's all-time leading scorer, a 20-time All-Star selection, a four-time Most Valuable Player and a four-time Finals MVP.
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Although James is the oldest active NBA player, he has shown he can still dominate.
In the 2023-24 regular season, James averaged 25.7 points per game on 54% shooting from the field (41% on 3-pointers), 8.3 assists and 7.3 rebounds in 35 minutes. In the playoffs, he averaged 27.8 points on 56.6% shooting (38.5% on 3-pointers), 8.8 assists and 6.8 rebounds in 41 minutes. The Lakers lost 4-1 to the Denver Nuggets in the first round.
In 1,492 regular-season games, James has scored 40,474 points, averaging 27.1 per game on 50.6% shooting from the field to go along with 7.5 rebounds and 7.4 assists. In 287 playoff games, he has scored 8,162 points, averaging 28.4 on 49.7% shooting, plus 9 rebounds and 7.2 assists.
Now James will have a chance to add even more to his NBA legacy in LA.
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Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.
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