LeBron James tells Los Angeles Lakers he will leave in free agency after eight seasons: report

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LeBron James will be in a new destination when his 24th NBA season commences.

The NBA's all-time leading scorer reportedly told the Los Angeles Lakers that he would leave the team in free agency after eight seasons with the organization, according to ESPN.

James joined the Lakers in 2018 after a second stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers in which he finally brought a championship to the Ohio city.

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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James reacts during the first half of game five in the first round of the 2025 NBA playoffs at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Calif., on Apr. 30, 2025. (Gary A. Vasquez/Imagn Images)

The Lakers confirmed James would be departing.

"LeBron James is one of the greatest athletes in history. We will always be thankful for his eight years with the Lakers – including the title he led us to in 2020 under the toughest imaginable circumstances and the countless records he broke in purple and gold," Lakers owner Jeanie Buss said. "We wish him all the best in the future, both on the court and off. He will always be a cherished part of the Lakers family."

With Los Angeles, James won the 2020 NBA title, his fourth, and passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most points scored in NBA history — he is at 43,440 and counting.

This past season, James, who will turn 42 in December, scored 20.9 points per game, the lowest mark of his career, but still managed 7.2 assists and 6.1 rebounds per contest.

The Golden State Warriors are reportedly looking to pair James with Stephen Curry, which would turn one of the NBA's greatest rivalries into two of the game's greatest stars fighting