LOS ANGELES — 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 Los Angeles 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.

James’ tenure with the Lakers was his longest continuous stint with any franchise during his illustrious career. He led the team to its 17th NBA championship in 2020, broke the NBA’s all-time scoring record while wearing the purple and gold and set the league record for seasons played, reaching 23 unprecedented years.

His record-extending 24th season will now be elsewhere.

The Golden State Warriors were reported as a potential option after Draymond Green opted out of his contract Monday, potentially freeing enough cap space to add James. He made $52.6 million last season but could sign for a pay cut to join fellow superstar Stephen Curry. He has also been linked to Cleveland for a full-circle homecoming for the Akron, Ohio, native who also led the Cavaliers to their first NBA championship.

“LeBron James is one of the greatest athletes in history,” Lakers governor Jeanie Buss said in a statement posted on social media. “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. 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.”

James responded on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

“No, THANK YOU!,” James wrote. “Truly a honor to wear the [purple and gold] while trying to [continue] the greatness & legacies that came before me! Hope I made a few proud during my stint.”

Joining the Lakers in 2018 in the midst of the franchise’s longest playoff drought, James brought the team back into the championship conversation. The following year after a massive trade for Anthony Davis, the Lakers won their first championship in 10 seasons.

James averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game last season for the Lakers while claiming a slew of NBA records, including marks for games played, all-time wins and field goals made. Despite his age James was still considered one of the top free agents in a relatively pedestrian class.

“We want to thank LeBron,” Magic Johnson told The Times while on vacation in Europe. “Deciding to come to the Lakers when I was president and knowing we weren’t going to be great that first year. But he bought in to that. He delivered a championship. And on a nightly basis, he delivered thrills for the fans, and he broke all the (NBA) records in a Lakers uniform. So, he overdelivered and that’s what the fans have to always remember. He overdelivered to the Laker nation.”

James earned his record 22nd All-Star appearance last season, maintained his streak of averaging more than 20 points per game every season of his career and willed a short-handed Lakers team past the Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs last season.

But he also gave up ground in his decades-long bout with Father Time.

James missed the first 14 games of the season while dealing with a right sciatic nerve problem, marking the first time in his career that he wasn’t ready to suit up for the season opener. His 15.3 field-goal attempts per game was a career low, and he was ineligible for end-of-season awards because he missed 22 regular-season games, ending his streak of 21 years with All-NBA honors.

The Lakers needed James to reach the second round of the Western Conference playoffs last season — when the team was without star Luka Doncic for the entire postseason — but the NBA’s all-time leading scorer was set to take a supporting role within the franchise.

Once the Lakers scored Doncic in a league-shattering trade for Davis in 2025, the organization immediately got a new star. They tried to co-exist, with James even acknowledging this season that Doncic was the Lakers’ “franchise” player, and showed promise during the brief stretches when they were both healthy.

“An honor to play with and learn from you,” Doncic wrote Tuesday in an Instagram story with a picture of him and James embracing.

Doncic, 27, remains the top priority for the Lakers. Doncic signed a three-year, $165 million contract extension last summer. The Lakers also agreed to a four-year, $185 million max deal to keep Austin Reaves, who opted out of his contract to become a free agent.

With their starting backcourt locked in and James on the way out, the Lakers can now build a roster completely around Doncic. President of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka said after the season that the roster would be “retrofitted” for Doncic’s skill set, meaning the Lakers wanted to target athletic, defensive-minded wings, knock-down shooters and a rim-running center.

In a weak free-agency class, several top names have already come off the board. Center Robert Williams III, who was a potential target for the Lakers, reportedly agreed to a three-year deal to return to Portland. Another option, center Mark Williams, is set to stay in Phoenix. The Lakers have also been linked to Mitchell Robinson, who is coming off an NBA championship with the New York Knicks.

Utah’s Walker Kessler and Detroit’s Jalen Duren are available to meet with the Lakers, but both centers are restricted free agents, meaning any offer they get could be matched by their current teams.

Center Jaxson Hayes is among several unrestricted free agents from last year’s Lakers team who could return. Hayes, who averaged 7.5 points and 4.1 rebounds on career-high 75.6% shooting, developed such a strong relationship with Doncic that the Cincinnati native became a naturalized Slovenian citizen to hopefully play with Doncic on the national team. Last year, Hayes played behind Deandre Ayton, who will return to the Lakers after exercising his $8.1 million player option.

The Lakers face negotiations with sharpshooters Rui Hachimura and Luke Kennard, who are unrestricted free agents, and defensive stalwart Marcus Smart, who declined his player option to hit the open market. Smart has already been linked to Houston, the team the Lakers eliminated in the playoffs.

_____

©2026 Los Angeles Times. Visit latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.