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Akron native LeBron James is taking his talents out of Hollywood.
But it remains to be seen if he's staying in California, coming back home to Ohio or perhaps moving on to somewhere else to add to his legendary NBA resume.
James has not reached an agreement with a new team, but ESPN is reporting he's leaving the Los Angeles Lakers,
ESPN's Shams Charania, citing Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul as the source, first reported Tuesday, June 30 that 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."
The development leaves open rampant speculation about James returning to the Cavaliers or joining another franchise this summer in NBA free agency. The Golden State Warriors have been linked to James in recent days.
With the Los Angeles Lakers building around Luka Doncic, James is leaving the storied franchise he joined in 2018. James is nearing the end of his playing career, and there has long been speculation about the NBA’s all-time leading scorer circling back to his hometown Cavaliers for a fairy-tale ending.
The Cavs drafted James first overall out of Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in 2003. James has had two tours with the Cavs and led them to their only championship in 2016.
The news confirms the 41-year-old James plans to extend his career to a record 24th NBA season instead of retiring. The St. Vincent-St. Mary High School graduate set the league's record by reaching 23 seasons in 2025-26.
Many Northeast Ohio sports fans yearn for a third run with James in a Cavs uniform.
Although the Lakers shifted to building around Doncic after acquiring him in February 2025 in a trade with the Dallas Mavericks, James showed this past season he can still be a go-to player on a playoff team.
But Cleveland isn't the only place where James has personal connections. James and Warriors star Stephen Curry have long been friends and rivals, competing against each other for NBA titles and playing together to win an Olympic gold medal in 2024. And of course, James won titles in Miami with the Heat, who bolstered their roster last week by trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
On Feb. 1, James received his record 22nd NBA All-Star selection, albeit as a reserve and not a starter.
During the 2025-26 regular season, James appeared in 60 games. He averaged 20.9 points on 51.5% shooting from the field (31.7% on 3-pointers), 6.1 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.2 steals and 33.2 minutes. In the 2026 playoffs, James averaged 23.2 points on 45.9% shooting from the floor (32.7% on 3s), 6.7 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 38.4 minutes in 10 games.
The Lakers defeated the Houston Rockets 4-2 in the first round before being swept 4-0 by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals. Doncic missed LA's entire second-round series because of a hamstring injury.
James did not play the 65 regular-season games required to qualify for All-NBA selection. He was voted second-team All-NBA for the 2024-25 season, when he averaged 24.4 points on 51.3% shooting from the field, 7.8 rebounds, 8.2 assists, one steal and 34.9 minutes. In the 2025 playoffs, he averaged 25.4 points on 48.9% shooting, nine rebounds, 5.6 assists, two steals, 1.8 blocks and 40.7 minutes.
The Lakers were eliminated from the 2025 playoffs with a 4-1 first-round series loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. James suffered a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee during the decisive Game 5. James recovered from the injury, yet he missed the first 14 games of the 2025-26 season because of sciatica on his right side.
More LeBron James: Mom Gloria, former coaches, teammates reflect on his St. Vincent-St. Mary years
A 6-foot-9 wing, James surpassed Hall of Fame center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's 38,387 career points for the NBA's all-time scoring record in 2023.
Through James' historic 23rd season, he has played 1,622 regular-season games and scored 43,440 points, averaging 26.8 points on 50.7% shooting from the field (34.8% on 3-pointers) to go along with 7.5 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 1.5 steals in 37.6 minutes.
In 302 playoff games, James has scored 8,521 points, averaging 28.2 points on 49.5% shooting (33.2% on 3s), plus 8.9 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.7 steals and one block in 41.2 minutes.
More LeBron James: NBA's scoring king says his new museum is something 'we can all be proud of' in Akron
James is a four-time NBA champion, a 22-time All-Star selection, a four-time Most Valuable Player and a four-time Finals MVP.
James has spent 11 seasons with the Cavs (2003-10 and 2014-18), four with the Miami Heat (2010-14) and eight with the Lakers (2019-26). In addition to winning the 2016 title during his second go-round with the Cavs, he captured rings in 2012 and 2013 with the Heat and in 2020 with the Lakers in the NBA's COVID-19 bubble.
Nate Ulrich is the sports columnist of the Akron Beacon Journal and a sports features writer. Nate can be reached at [email protected]. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Warriors, Cavs remain in play for LeBron James with Lakers out of the mix
Continue reading...
But it remains to be seen if he's staying in California, coming back home to Ohio or perhaps moving on to somewhere else to add to his legendary NBA resume.
James has not reached an agreement with a new team, but ESPN is reporting he's leaving the Los Angeles Lakers,
ESPN's Shams Charania, citing Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul as the source, first reported Tuesday, June 30 that 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."
The development leaves open rampant speculation about James returning to the Cavaliers or joining another franchise this summer in NBA free agency. The Golden State Warriors have been linked to James in recent days.
With the Los Angeles Lakers building around Luka Doncic, James is leaving the storied franchise he joined in 2018. James is nearing the end of his playing career, and there has long been speculation about the NBA’s all-time leading scorer circling back to his hometown Cavaliers for a fairy-tale ending.
The Cavs drafted James first overall out of Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in 2003. James has had two tours with the Cavs and led them to their only championship in 2016.
The news confirms the 41-year-old James plans to extend his career to a record 24th NBA season instead of retiring. The St. Vincent-St. Mary High School graduate set the league's record by reaching 23 seasons in 2025-26.
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LeBron James could team up with Warriors' star Stephen Curry, return to Cavs or Heat, or head somewhere else
Many Northeast Ohio sports fans yearn for a third run with James in a Cavs uniform.
Although the Lakers shifted to building around Doncic after acquiring him in February 2025 in a trade with the Dallas Mavericks, James showed this past season he can still be a go-to player on a playoff team.
But Cleveland isn't the only place where James has personal connections. James and Warriors star Stephen Curry have long been friends and rivals, competing against each other for NBA titles and playing together to win an Olympic gold medal in 2024. And of course, James won titles in Miami with the Heat, who bolstered their roster last week by trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
LeBron James is still an NBA All-Star
On Feb. 1, James received his record 22nd NBA All-Star selection, albeit as a reserve and not a starter.
During the 2025-26 regular season, James appeared in 60 games. He averaged 20.9 points on 51.5% shooting from the field (31.7% on 3-pointers), 6.1 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.2 steals and 33.2 minutes. In the 2026 playoffs, James averaged 23.2 points on 45.9% shooting from the floor (32.7% on 3s), 6.7 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 38.4 minutes in 10 games.
The Lakers defeated the Houston Rockets 4-2 in the first round before being swept 4-0 by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals. Doncic missed LA's entire second-round series because of a hamstring injury.
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James did not play the 65 regular-season games required to qualify for All-NBA selection. He was voted second-team All-NBA for the 2024-25 season, when he averaged 24.4 points on 51.3% shooting from the field, 7.8 rebounds, 8.2 assists, one steal and 34.9 minutes. In the 2025 playoffs, he averaged 25.4 points on 48.9% shooting, nine rebounds, 5.6 assists, two steals, 1.8 blocks and 40.7 minutes.
The Lakers were eliminated from the 2025 playoffs with a 4-1 first-round series loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. James suffered a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee during the decisive Game 5. James recovered from the injury, yet he missed the first 14 games of the 2025-26 season because of sciatica on his right side.
More LeBron James: Mom Gloria, former coaches, teammates reflect on his St. Vincent-St. Mary years
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LeBron James career stats
A 6-foot-9 wing, James surpassed Hall of Fame center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's 38,387 career points for the NBA's all-time scoring record in 2023.
Through James' historic 23rd season, he has played 1,622 regular-season games and scored 43,440 points, averaging 26.8 points on 50.7% shooting from the field (34.8% on 3-pointers) to go along with 7.5 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 1.5 steals in 37.6 minutes.
You must be registered for see images
In 302 playoff games, James has scored 8,521 points, averaging 28.2 points on 49.5% shooting (33.2% on 3s), plus 8.9 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.7 steals and one block in 41.2 minutes.
More LeBron James: NBA's scoring king says his new museum is something 'we can all be proud of' in Akron
James is a four-time NBA champion, a 22-time All-Star selection, a four-time Most Valuable Player and a four-time Finals MVP.
James has spent 11 seasons with the Cavs (2003-10 and 2014-18), four with the Miami Heat (2010-14) and eight with the Lakers (2019-26). In addition to winning the 2016 title during his second go-round with the Cavs, he captured rings in 2012 and 2013 with the Heat and in 2020 with the Lakers in the NBA's COVID-19 bubble.
Nate Ulrich is the sports columnist of the Akron Beacon Journal and a sports features writer. Nate can be reached at [email protected]. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Warriors, Cavs remain in play for LeBron James with Lakers out of the mix
Continue reading...
