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VIDEO | 01:12
After eight seasons, LeBron James is leaving Los Angeles
Sports

After eight seasons, LeBron James is leaving Los Angeles

Thuc Nhi Nguyen.
Los Angeles Times 2026 intern Willie Gilliespie
By Thuc Nhi Nguyen and Willie Gillespie
LeBron James is continuing his record-setting NBA career, but he won’t do it with the Lakers.

The 41-year-old superstar has informed the Lakers he intends to sign with a different team as an unrestricted free agent, The Times confirmed Tuesday. After eight seasons, James felt it was best to part ways with the Lakers, according to people familiar with the situation not authorized to discuss it publicly.
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Thuc Nhi Nguyen

Thuc Nhi Nguyen covers the Lakers and the Olympics for the Los Angeles Times. She previously covered a wide range of sports, including college sports, after joining The Times in 2019 from the Southern California News Group, where she covered UCLA, professional soccer and preps. Because she doesn’t use her University of Washington mathematics degree for work, it makes great decoration in her parents’ Seattle home.

Willie Gillespie

Willie Gillespie was a 2026 summer intern on the video desk at the Los Angeles Times. Originally from Libertyville, Ill., he is a senior journalism major at the University of Oklahoma and works for the student newspaper, the OU Daily. You can connect with him on X @wgillespietv.

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