Back in September, Rob Pelinka was asked about LeBron James’ future after James chose to exercise the final year of his contract rather than pursue an extension or a new deal in the 2025 offseason.
“We would love if LeBron’s story would be to retire as a Laker,” Pelinka said. “That’d be a positive story.”
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The story took a different turn Tuesday. Rather than retire as a Laker, James is leaving Los Angeles to finish his career elsewhere, closing one of the most consequential six-year partnerships in franchise history.
After eight consecutive NBA Finals appearances, James was an unrestricted free agent in 2018. Of 30 NBA teams, the Los Angeles Lakers had the most losses between the 2013-14 and 2017-18 seasons with 284. That was more than the Process-era Philadelphia 76ers and the Phil Jackson New York Knicks. More than the Sacramento Kings, Phoenix Suns and Minnesota Timberwolves, all of whom were in various stages of postseason droughts that lasted at least a decade.
That’s right — the face of the game chose the franchise with the worst record in basketball over a five-year span as the place to play out the latter half of his prime. And the Lakers were still bad when James arrived, putting together a “Meme Team” that had to hear “LeBron’s gonna trade you” in Indiana right before the 2019 trade deadline.
I still believe the shared embarrassment of that 2018-19 season is what fueled the Lakers to the top of the Western Conference in 2019-20. They turned all of that young talent and relevant draft capital into Anthony Davis, put together a focused season and won a championship in October 2020 inside the pits of Disney World.
The Lakers won four playoff series in the bubble after going seven straight seasons without winning one. The bubble ring was legitimate, but the Lakers never validated that championship afterward, winning just three playoff series with James over the next six seasons.
The Lakers spent this past season preparing for life after LeBron James. There’s a new owner in place. There’s an already established star in Luka Dončić. The Lakers gave Austin Reaves the bag after he spent a year being the team’s No. 2 option. James had to find his place, but when he had to lead the Lakers to a playoff series win against a dilapidated Houston Rockets team, he showed he could get it done — perhaps his final triumph for a franchise that tends to minimize accomplishments if they don’t end in a championship.
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“I’m not looking at my year as a disappointment, that’s for damn sure,” James said the night the Oklahoma City Thunder swept the Lakers last month. “I was put in some positions that I’ve never played in my career before. Actually in my life. I’ve never been a third option in my whole life. So to be able to thrive in that role for that period of time, and then have to step back into the role that I’ve been accustomed with over my career, over my life, playing the sport and be able to thrive under that. And then just my teammates allowing me to lead them under extreme circumstances? That was pretty cool for me, at this stage of my career.”
This is how James’ Los Angeles story ends. He isn’t retiring with the Lakers. He’s off somewhere else to finish the longest basketball story the NBA has ever written. James said he has “done it all, seen it all,” and isn’t trying to prove anything individually that he hasn’t already done.
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As for the Lakers, they should be thankful that James chose them in the first place — and thankful that the Dallas Mavericks handed them a life raft in Dončić before it was time to turn the page.
No, THANK YOU! Truly a honor to wear the 💜💛 while trying to continuing the greatness & legacies that came before me! Hope I made a few proud during my stint. 🙏🏾🫡👑 https://t.co/RmQ6uvvgv0
— LeBron James (@KingJames) June 30, 2026