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2nd July 2018
08:12am BST

James, who brought his hometown state of Cleveland it's first professional sports title in 52 years (as he promised), told the organisation that drafted him with the number one overall pick all the way back in 2003 he would leaving them for the second time on Saturday night via a phonecall with owner Dan Gilbert.
The three-time NBA champion will be joining a young Lakers roster that won only 35 games last season, but undoubtedly has talent in the form of point guard Lonzo Ball and wings Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma.
Whether all three remain on the team remains to be seen as the Lakers continue to pursue former NBA finals MVP and Defensive Player of the Year Kawhi Leonard, who has made clear his intentions to leave the San Antonio Spurs, either by trade or when he himself hits free agency in a years time.
The Lakers were always seen as a highly desirable destination for James due to its storied history as a franchise and the city itself, which will no doubt help the 33-year-old transition into a one-man business empire -if he isn't that already - after his playing career is over.
Doubts came over whether he would want to play in the Western Conference, currently far stronger than the East and a much harder route to the NBA finals as it contains the reigning champions of the last two years the Golden State Warriors, as well as the current MVP in James Harden (the Houston Rockets) and Paul George and Russell Westbrook's Oklahoma City Thunder.
Should James push a franchise - that hasn't even sniffed playoff basketball since being swept in the first round in 2013 - back into contention, it will simply be another notch on his belt as he lays claim to being the greatest basketballer of all time, for him now the only thing left to conquer.Explore more on these topics: