[ad_1]
CLEVELAND, Ohio – LeBron James on Sunday signed a $ 154 million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, ending his second race against his home team, the Cleveland Cavaliers.
James, born in Akron and No. 1 by the Cavs in 2003, leaves the Cavs for the second time in eight seasons. But this time, it takes two years for the organization to get its first title.
James' agreement with the Lakers was announced by a simple press release sent by his agent, Rich Paul, who says -Star, three-time MVP MVP, and two-time gold medalist Olympic, joined the Lakers.
"Thanks Northeast Ohio for an amazing 4 seasons," said James in a message on his Instagram account. "It will always be at home."
James also posted on Instagram the message "See you soon," a reference to the opening of his public school across the Akron School District and his LeBron James Family Foundation. by the end of this month.
And that's all. A source close to LeBron said that there would be no press conference in Los Angeles, no celebration on stage. Nothing that will bring Cleveland fans back to that fateful July night in 2010 when he told ESPN that he was bringing his talents to South Beach.
James has grown since. So he left the city again, if not in number, then largely because of the four years that James gave the Cavs the second time.
A spokesman for the Cavs said it was necessary to determine whether an official statement came from team owner Dan Gilbert or general manager Koby Altman.
The Cavs could have awarded James a $ 207 million contract over five years – so he leaves $ 54 million on the table to go to Los Angeles – where he has a house.
Altman spoke to James and Paul by phone at 12:01 am, and Paul sits later with the 76ers. LeBron leaves an Eastern Conference where he has reigned as few in the history of the sport, reaching the finals for eight consecutive seasons.
In four years since returning to Cleveland, James averaged 26 points with 7.7 rebounds and 8.0 badists
His best statistical season was the last, where his 27.5 points were the highest since 2010 (a disturbing sign, he turned out) and he equaled a high career with 8.6 boards and set a new best with 9.1 help He was the NBA MVP's runner-up and was the matchmaker of the game … you l & # 39; 39, you guessed, LA
James, 33, played 11 seasons in total with the Cavs and 15 overall, pushing Cleveland to five Finals – counting the franchise's first trip in 2007.
Last Time that James scored so many points in a season, he left and joined the Heat. Only when he returned to the Cavs in 2014, he said at least four times that he would not do this thing even – let the Cavs again.
In a CNN interview in 2014, James said "I plan to finish my career at home." In his Sports Illustrated essay announcing his return, he said, "I've always believed I would go back in Cleveland to finish my career there. At his return ceremony at Akron University, he told about 30,000 fans who were screaming, "I do not intend to go anywhere, I do not have the energy to redo it. "
the intention to stay with the Cavs "has not changed." Who knows when we'll learn exactly when James changed his mind.
James was upset all season that the Cavs traded Kyrie Irving to Boston for Isaiah Thomas, two other players, and two draft picks, including Brooklyn's top pick – – The Cavs opted for playmaker Collin Sexton
The Cavs changed their entire list last summer and again at the trading deadline in February. James brought this team – the one with George Hill and Rodney Hood and Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr – to the finals for the fourth consecutive season.
But Cleveland was swept into the final by the Warriors, a year after Golden State took the Cavs final in five games (and they still had Irving).
In April, James told cleveland.com that his free agency would be largely a family decision – something he reiterated after the 2018 Final.
But James also said after the finals that he wanted to stay in "championship mode". Most observers agreed that the Cavs were not able to shoot the Warriors in the final, but it is unclear how James plans to go in the final with the Lakers.
Los Angeles is in the same conference as Golden State. The Lakers lost on potential free agents Paul George and Chris Paul, who signed maximum contracts with their respective old teams, and both were linked as possible teammates for James on the Lakers.
Los Angeles has no other stars presently. Lonzo Ball is here. There is therefore a significant amount of ceiling space (to sign a player like DeMarcus Cousins) and the possibility – albeit distant – of trading for Kawhi Leonard of the Spurs, a star who wants to join James in Los Angeles
James leaves behind an unparalleled legacy in the city of Cleveland for a Lakers franchise that has all sorts of big names in the NBA, like LeBron – from his new boss, Magic Johnson, to Kobe Bryant, to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Source link
