Although LeBron James played more seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers (11), his tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers, which ended today, was the longest consecutive stay in the phenom’s NBA career.
James, the game’s all-time leading scorer, four-time champion (with three different franchises), and 22-time NBA All-Star, informed the Lakers on Tuesday that he was leaving the team but not retiring.
“LeBron James is one of the greatest athletes in history,” Lakers President Jeanie Buss said in a statement posted on the team’s official Instagram account. “We will always be thankful for the eight years he spent with the Lakers — including the title he led us to in 2020 under the most difficult circumstances imaginable and the countless records he broke in the purple and gold.” “We wish him all the best for the future, both on and off the court. He will always be a cherished part of the Lakers family.”
Maybe James won’t leave caHowever, since his most likely destination is one last tour with his friend Stephon Curry (A goat) in Mission Bay. Curry, like James, has four NBA championships, a 2024 Olympic gold medal (James has three), and a full foot in Hollywood as a producer and occasional actor.
A spokesman for James did not respond Hollywood ReporterAsked for comment on his future in the NBA; Free agency begins at 6pm ET tonight. (Curry’s Golden State Warriors are also expected to pursue James’ former Lakers teammate Anthony Davis — who wants the Big 3 when you can have the Big 4 or even the Big 5?)
With James leaving Los Angeles, he’s not only leaving the Lakers, he’s also leaving Hollywood — geographically and temporarily, at least. Since joining the team in 2018, James has produced over 70 (!) series and films (and one video game: NBA 2K20). Michael Jordan never did that – just saying.
James has also played himself in some of his own films Space crowding: a new legacy (2021), something Jordan has definitely done (and done better), as well as another ’90s classic remake, 2023 House party. Probably the best film James ever made was, well, Hurry upa 2022 Netflix film starring Adam Sandler, Queen Latifah, and real-life NBA veteran Juancho Hernangomez as Bo Cruz. LeBron has certainly dabbled in the entertainment industry as a Cleveland Cavalier player (he was great as Bill Hader’s best friend in the 2015 Amy Schumer comedy). Train wreck), but in the end, his lure to Los Angeles was much more than a four-year, $153.3 million contract (which was followed by a pair of two-year extensions — and a significant amount of PGA credits).
King James and business partner Maverick Carter launched SpringHill Entertainment in 2007, when The Chosen One was about halfway through production. Firstly Run as adequate. But SpringHill really took off in 2020, two seasons into James’ Lakers tenure, when Spring Hill Company It went public (and the Lakers won the sad COVID-bubble NBA championship). The following year, James and Carter were nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Unscripted Reality Program become. The rebranded and expanded SpringHill merged with Fulwell 73 in 2024. SpringHill is among the most productive production companies founded by an athlete, rivaling Peyton Manning’s Omaha and Dwayne Johnson’s Seven Bucks.
So James will play in the 2026-2027 NBA season, his 24th season. If he does one more thing, James could find himself back in Los Angeles for the 2028 Summer Olympics, though he has played down that possibility in interviews, including one year ago in a conversation with THR.
“I mean, if I had to look at it now through a microscope, I would say that, being able to support Team USA for the rest of my life — that’s for sure,” James said at the time of the 2028 Los Angeles tournament. “But I actually keep playing, I don’t see that happening.”
Maybe it’s time to scale back a little.
Although James will likely land in Northern California, part of his heart will remain about 400 miles to the south, and the LeBron James business will continue to move like a freight train — or like a mini-train at 6’9″, 250 lbs. Small forward/power forward/point guard/center/shooting guard chasing the rim.
James said about his plans after retiring from the NBA THR“I want to keep doing what we’ve been doing, and I want to keep keeping storytelling at the forefront of everything we do. I think storytelling is the most amazing thing we can do, not just for ourselves, but for our fan base and for our families… Storytelling really brings people together.”
So do super teams.
