NBA: LeBron James not returning to Lakers

LeBron James has confirmed that he will play his 24th NBA season... just not for the Lakers. 

The NBA's all-time leading scorer informed the team that he will not be returning via his agent, Rich Paul, per ESPN's Shams Charania. 

Paul and Lakers President Rob Pelinka spoke recently about James' future, and it was made clear to the team that James would be moving on, per ESPN. 

This will conclude an eight-year stint in Los Angeles for the 22-time NBA All-Star. James led the team to the Playoffs in six of those seasons including the franchise's 17th NBA championship in 2020. 

However, the Lakers seemed to change course after acquiring Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks in a widely unforeseen move that traded away James' then-co-star, Anthony Davis. 

Doncic, 27, shifted the team's mindset to longer-term plans, which James, 41, is no longer a part of. 

However, James has proven that age is just a number. He led the Lakers to a first-round victory over the Houston Rockets in the 2026 NBA Playoffs with both Doncic and Austin Reaves injured. 

Reaves returned for latter half of that series and for the second round matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder, but it was not enough to avoid a sweep against the then-defending champions. Doncic did not play in that series. 

In the regular season, James averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists in 60 games for the Lakers after missing the first part of the season with psoriasis. 

Now, for the fourth time in his career, "King James" will make a decision on the next team he wants to play for. 

This will, however, likely mean leaving behind the opportunity to play with his son, Bronny James, whose $2.3 million contract was fully guaranteed by the Lakers on Monday.

Speculation has abounded that James will join up with former rivals Stephen Curry and Draymond Green on the Golden State Warriors, with Yahoo Sports' Kevin O'Connor reporting that such a transaction could come in addition to a trade for Anthony Davis to reunite the pair in Golden State. 

More recent reports have indicated that James could end up with the Warriors even if the team does not acquire Davis. 

There have also been reports that James could reunite with his two former teams, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat, with the latter looking to fill out its roster around recently acquired superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo. 

James will be able to negotiate and sign with a new team as early as 6 p.m. EST Tuesday, which marks the official start of NBA free agency.