Reports: LeBron James will play for team other than Lakers in 2026-27

LeBron James averaged 20.9 points, 7.2 assists and 6.1 rebounds over 60 games with Los Angeles last season.

LeBron James reportedly has informed the Los Angeles Lakers that he plans to play for a different team during the 2026-27 season, according to multiple reports citing Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul.

BREAKING: LeBron James will continue his NBA career for the 2026-27 season and has informed the Los Angeles Lakers that the franchise can move on without him because he will play elsewhere, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul tells ESPN.

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— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania)

June 30, 2026

BREAKING: LeBron James has informed the Los Angeles Lakers that he will play elsewhere for the 2026-27 season, his agent Rich Paul tells me.

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— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes)

LeBron James has informed the Lakers he is leaving and will be playing elsewhere next season, sources close to James say. He has not yet decided where he’ll be playing next season and felt it was time to move on.

— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports)

James has played the last eight seasons with the Lakers after signing as a free agent in 2018. The NBA’s all-time leader in points, minutes, games played, and seasons played averaged 25.9 points, 7.9 assists and 7.7 rebounds over 479 regular-season games with Los Angeles, and he won Finals MVP in 2020 as he led the franchise to its 17th NBA championship.

“LeBron James is one of the greatest athletes in history,” Lakers team governor Jeanie Buss said in a statement Tuesday. “We will always be thankful for his eight years with the Lakers — including the title he led us to in 2020 under the toughest imaginable circumstances and the countless records he broke in purple and gold. We wish him all the best in the future, both on the court and off. He will always be a cherished part of the Lakers family.”

Thank you, LeBron 💜💛

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— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers)

James reportedly has not yet decided where he will play for his record-breaking 24th NBA season in 2026-27. He can begin talking officially to new clubs after 6 p.m. ET on Tuesday, when the league’s free agent period opens. He will not be able to sign with a new team until the league’s offseason moratorium is lifted on July 6.

A slew of options will be available to James on the open market, including Golden State. Longtime Warriors forward Draymond Green did not exercise his $27.6 million option for this coming season earlier this week in large part to allow his team flexibility to make other roster moves.

“Personally, I’m always willing to work with the team on whatever is best, especially at this point in my career,” Green said on the latest episode of his podcast, which was released Tuesday. “So my decision to opt out was for a few reasons. As you all know, I’ve always taken the approach of working with the organization. I’ve been in one place for 14 years. It’s more of a family to me than anything.”

It could be the move that convinces James to go to Golden State — a franchise he faced four times with Cleveland in the NBA Finals. He also has close relationships with Green, Stephen Curry and Warriors coach Steve Kerr.

James spent eight seasons with the Lakers, the longest he spent in one stint with one NBA team. He spent the first seven years of his career in Cleveland, then left for four years in Miami where he won the first two of his four championships. That was followed by another four-year stint with the Cavaliers.

James is the NBA’s oldest active player; he turns 42 in December. He was the first player in league history to log 23 seasons; he’ll add at least one more to that this season. He also became the first player in the league to have a son as a teammate, with Bronny James playing alongside him with the Lakers.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.