Prior to the start of free agency it was revealed that LeBron James would continue his playing career but not with the Los Angeles Lakers, bringing an end to an eight year stint with the franchise. Of course, that stint began in 2018 when James met with then-Lakers president of basketball operations Magic Johnson.
Now that it has basically been confirmed by both sides, Johnson has taken to social media to thank James and his agent Rich Paul for taking that initial meeting, and all that he accomplished during his time with the Lakers:
I want to thank LeBron James and his super agent Rich Paul for taking a meeting with me back in 2018 when I was President of the Lakers and deciding to sign with us. He created a whole new era for the Lakers, including leading us to an NBA Championship in 2020 and all the…
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) June 30, 2026
It is undeniable what James has meant to the Lakers franchise over the past eight years. The Lakers had been one of the worst teams in the league from the final two years of Kobe Bryant’s career, followed by his retirement. James signing with the purple and gold brought the team back to prominent status and gave them a new face of the franchise that they were sorely missing.
The fact that James would go on to have a longer run with the Lakers than any singular run with any other team in his career says a lot about how both sides were beneficial to the other. The 2020 championship team led by James and Anthony Davis was a special squad and he had so many other memories, including breaking the NBA’s all-time scoring record and sharing the court with his son Bronny James, not to mention the tons of unreal performances and big shots.
As Johnson said, James’ signing created the latest era of Lakers basketball and though it might not measure up to the Showtime or Kobe-Shaq days, it was undoubtedly a successful one and James will have his jersey hanging in the rafters one day alongside all the rest of the franchise legends.
LeBron James thanks Lakers in social media post
The Lakers released a statement following news of James’ intentions thanking him for everything and James would reply to that statement with a brief one of his own on social media in wished he called it an honor to be able to wear the purple and gold.
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