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CLEVELAND (AP) – LeBron James leaves his home to move to Hollywood and sign with an iconic club.
The NBA's Most Valuable Player on four occasions announced Sunday night that he was accepting a $ 154 million contract for four years to play with the Los Angeles Lakers, changing course to dethrone the Warriors. from Golden State.
For the second time in his career, James said goodbye to the Cleveland Cavaliers, who recruited him as a teenage sensation at Akron in 2003 and had to settle for just one title in the 11 years that he played with them.
Unlike the previous two occasions when he was a free agent, James did not delay his decision and made the announcement less than 24 hours after the NBA opened the hiring. free agents.
The NBA star will be the leader of a young team in Los Angeles – chaired by the legendary Magic Johnson_ and who has stumbled in recent years during a rebuilding process. But the Lakers will immediately feel the effect of James, who has been champion three times.
The Lakers' legacy attracted James, and it was not long after the announcement that he received a message from Kobe Bryant, who won five titles for 20 seasons in Los Angeles.
"Welcome to the @KingJames family," tweeted Bryant.
His representative agency, Klutch Sports Group, announced the agreement with the Lakers in a brief statement. That was a stark contrast compared to eight years ago, when a special program poorly designed to announce his departure from Cleveland had a negative effect and damaged James' image.
James no longer plans statements, and there will be no press conference or welcome to Los Angeles, a source familiar with the player's plans said Sunday night and asked for anonymity .
James plans to make his next statements on July 30 in Akron, where he plans to open a public school business by his family's foundation.
In Los Angeles, the titles are the norm and James will face new demands to continue the legacies of Magic Johnson, Bryant, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jerry West and other great Lakers.
The city, a mecca of entertainment, will provide James with a larger platform for his philanthropic works and social activism. He owns two residences in Southern California and a film production company.
This is the third time in eight that James is changing team. After leaving Cleveland in 2010, he returned home with the goal of giving the Cavs a championship. The 33-year-old star said he wants to end his career in Ohio and, although he is leaving, Cavs fans do not blame him for ending the drought of the city's professional titles, which lasted 52 years. years until the consecration in 2016.
The opportunity to play for one of the most successful franchises of professional sports in the United States represents a new challenge for James, someone who knows proudly the history of basketball.
In Los Angeles, winning championships is an obligation and will be pushed to follow in the footsteps of Johnson, Bryant, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jerry West and other Lakers myths.
Now it's your turn.
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