After a lot of speculation and rumor, the word is officially out: LeBron James chose to sign with the L.A. Lakers for the next phase of his career. Influenced in part by Magic Johnson’s personal plea to the All-Star player and partly by his love of Los Angeles, James has agreed to sign a $154 million four-year deal with the franchise.
There were other offers of course – namely his old team the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Philadelphia 76ers – but James opted to stay on home turf. Per the L.A. Times: “…after 15 years in the NBA, James didn’t need much convincing nor elaborate proposals. He knew how much he loved living in Los Angeles, how his family enjoyed summers in Brentwood. He knew what the Lakers once meant to the NBA. He believed enough in this team’s future, its leadership and his own recruiting abilities to sign a four-year deal.”
