LeBron James Signs Multi-Year Deal with the Lakers

LeBron James has signed on to become a Laker, and it took little time after becoming a free agent on Monday for the deal to be signed, sealed and delivered. The announcement was made by The Los Angeles Lakers.

This is a big move for James after going to the finals with Cleveland, but with a 4-year deal worth $153.3 million, the four-time NBA Most Valuable Player’s chose to move on, and you can’t blame him. James has only so many years left in the NBA and maximising his income makes sense.

The agency that represents LeBron, Klutch Sports Group, posted a picture of James after signing the contract while sitting with Rob Pelinka, the general manager of the Los Angeles Lakers. Considering the Lakers have failed to make the playoffs for the five years, James has played in the last eight while playing for Cleveland and Miami. In those eight years, James saw three championship titles and hopes the move to the Lakers will once again bring the championship back to Los Angeles.

At 33, LeBron James is one of the smart ones that is following in the path of other superstar athletes and hopes to convince other big name players to sign with the Lakers and help create another superstar over the next few years. With Magic Johnson as president of basketball operations, it could be the best of both worlds, both for the league’s top players, but also for those that are up and coming.

Commenting on LeBron, Magic Johnson said,

“He loves to compete and is an awesome leader who is about winning and making sure that his teammates are successful. The Lakers players are excited to have a teammate who has been to nine NBA Finals. It’s a huge step closer to returning the Lakers to the playoffs and to the NBA Finals.”

LeBron had one of his best seasons last year and failed to miss a single game. He finished third overall in the NBA with an average of 27.5 points per game. He was instrumental in helping the Cavaliers go to the finals but failed to take the championship.

General manager Rob Pelinka, said this moment is historic for the Lakers, and the franchise is thrilled and grateful adding,

“When LeBron James — a perennial NBA MVP and champion who is playing at the most astonishing levels of his career — chooses to join the Lakers, it serves as the ultimate validation for what we are building here. However, we all know that the work is not yet done.”

The signing of LeBron is the validation that Pelinka and Magic Johnson needed after taking over in 2017. Both had a plan in place to help the franchise rebuild and that including getting superstar players to sign with the franchise.

Haven’t been to a pizza party in a minute 🤔 Culver City? 👀🍕 https://t.co/1QxgALyekK

— LeBron James (@KingJames) July 9, 2018

That plan is well underway and signing James is a big part of the puzzle. They have assembled a strong supporting cast that includes JaVale McGee, Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson and JaVale McGee. The Lakers also were able to re-sign Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and already had Josh Hart, Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma in place.

To celebrate his signing with the Laker, Blaze Pizza, a pizza chain James has invested are giving away pizza for 3 hours today as a thank you for the fans support. One thing is certain, tickets for the Lakers games will become a hot commodity when the next NBA season gets underway – how the Lakers will fair with LeBron will be seen.