LeBron is gone: NBA legend James leaves LA Lakers

LeBron James is set to wear a different jersey for the first time in nearly a decade after informing the Los Angeles Lakers that he will continue his career elsewhere next season.

The NBA's all-time leading scorer has decided to end his eight-year spell in Los Angeles as he prepares for a record-breaking 24th NBA season, although his next destination has yet to be determined.

The 41-year-old, who turns 42 in December, is also still weighing up retirement, but sources say his desire to compete for another championship has ultimately driven his decision to leave the Lakers.

James closes the curtain on one of the most successful chapters of his legendary career. During his time in Los Angeles, he delivered the franchise's 2020 NBA title, reached the Western Conference Finals, lifted the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament trophy and, perhaps most memorably, fulfilled a lifelong dream by sharing the court with his son Bronny James after the Lakers drafted him in 2024.

His departure comes after another remarkable campaign in which he continued to defy age. James averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game while extending his unprecedented streak to 23 consecutive seasons averaging at least 20 points.

He also showed a different side of his game, willingly accepting a reduced offensive role alongside Luka Doncic before stepping back into the spotlight when injuries struck the Lakers late in the season. James helped carry Los Angeles to the Western Conference's fourth seed before leading the team past the Houston Rockets in the opening playoff round. Their run eventually ended in the conference semifinals against the Oklahoma City Thunder, where he signed off with 24 points and 12 rebounds.

Rather than viewing the season as a disappointment, James described it as one of the most rewarding challenges of his career.

"I've never been a third option in my life," James said after the Lakers' playoff elimination. "To be able to thrive in that role and then step back into leading the team again under those circumstances was pretty cool at this stage of my career."

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Hints that his future could lie away from Los Angeles had surfaced long before the announcement. Last year, his longtime agent Rich Paul acknowledged that James was balancing the Lakers' long-term plans with his own desire to maximise the final years of his career.

"LeBron knows the Lakers are building for the future, and he also wants to compete for championships," Paul said at the time. "He wants to make every season he has left count."

Now, after eight memorable years in purple and gold, James has decided that the next chapter of his extraordinary career will be written somewhere else. The only remaining question is which team will land one of basketball's greatest players for what could be the final season of his iconic career.