NBA superstar LeBron James is to join the Los Angeles Lakers on a four-year deal worth $US154 million ($NZ227), his management company Klutch Sports Group has announced.
Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James Photo: © Icon Sportswirehttp://www.iconsportswire.comemail: sales@iconsportswire.com
Klutch Sports Group announced the move in a short statement released today.
James is a four-time NBA MVP and two-time Olympic gold medalist.
The superstar has three championship rings. Two with the Miami Heat and one with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
He most recently took the Cleveland Cavaliers to the NBA finals against the Golden State Warriors where the Warriors won in a four-game sweep.
He went into free agency following the season and was rumoured to be looking at leaving Cleveland.
The game's best all-around player and biggest star will now lead a young Lakers team that has been overmatched in recent years while rebuilding but will instantly rise with James.
Los Angeles also provides James with a larger platform for his business interests and social activism.
This is the third time in eight years James has changed teams. He returned to the Cavaliers in 2014 after four seasons in Miami.
The 33-year-old had previously said he wanted to finish his career in Ohio, and although he's leaving home again, Cleveland fans are more forgiving after he ended the city's 52-year sports championship drought in 2016.
- AAP