LeBron James accepts a 4-year deal with the Lakers. He really did it

The decision was made

LeBron James will not return to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Instead, the king takes his talents on the west coast to join the Los Angeles Lakers this summer. James has signed a contract for up to $ 154 million over four years, according to a statement from Klutch Sports Group. He joins a Lakers team that should continue to make moves this summer to add to a list that now features the best basketball player on the planet.

The 76ers were another team in the mix to sign James, as the Cavaliers, who hoped to retain his star player after losing in the NBA Finals for the third time in four years.

James spent the last four seasons of his career in Cleveland, where he landed the very first NBA championship in Golden State Warriors in 2016. But his Cavaliers teams have not been able to overcome the hump since.

The Warriors eliminated the Cavaliers in five games in the 2017 NBA Finals, and in the rematch in June, James' team was swept out of the biggest stage of all basketball.

In a way, James extended the beginning of his career. At the age of 33, he played in all 82 regular season games, averaging 27.5 points, a best-ever total of 9.1 assists and 8.6 rebounds over the year. He carried the Cavaliers through a series of seven first-round games against the Pacers, then swept the Raptors in the second round before surviving the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals. . Paul George will not join him after signing a three-year deal to stay in Oklahoma City. But according to who joins The King in Los Angeles, the Lakers could be back in the championship race before we know it.