NBA: LeBron James joins the Los Angeles Lakers for 4 years
The suspense will not last long. Free to engage where he wanted for a little over 24 hours, Lebron James announced tonight that he joined the Los Angeles Lakers. At 33, King signed a four-year contract and will be playing for the first time in his West conference career.
The thunderclap in the NBA has taken place. At 33, and at the height of his career, LeBron James launched a new challenge Sunday by announcing that he joined the Los Angeles Lakers: win a new NBA title, and consolidate its place in the Hall of Fame of the biggest names in sport American.
The Cleveland Cavaliers super-star from Ohio could no longer stay with her Cavaliers, defeated and humiliated 4-0 in the NBA Finals this year by the Golden State Warriors. He has signed for four years with the legendary franchise of Los Angeles, the Lakers, for 154 million dollars, announced Sunday its agents Klutch Sports Group.
In the footsteps of Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson
It will walk in the footsteps of players who have made history in the NBA, such Kobe Bryant or Magic Johnson, even if the Lakers struggle in recent years. They finished eleventh in the Western Conference this year. According to the press, besides the Los Angleles Lakers, the Houston Rockets and Philadelphia had courted the triple NBA champion (2012 and 2013 with Miami, 2016 with Cleveland).
NBA observers were frustrated: LeBron James, currently playing the best basketball of his career (34 points, 9.1 rebounds and 9 assists in the 2018 play-offs), seemed to be spoiling his talent in Cleveland.
The title of 2016, won in general surprise against the Warriors (4-3) seems far away. Especially, in five finals with the Cavs, the "King" has lost four. Far from the reference Michael Jordan, the yardstick of excellence in American basketball: six finals played with the Chicago Bulls, six victories.
It is precisely to Michael Jordan that James, four-time best player in the NBA and double-Olympic gold medalist, could argue according to some the status of best player in the history of the US championship.