Look: Cavaliers owner pens another letter in wake of LeBron leaving for Los Angeles
As expected, LeBron James signed with the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, inking a four-year, $154-million contract that will allow him to bring his talents to Southern California.
Future Laker LeBron James has landed in LA pic.twitter.com/ghhVdAq7F1
— Alex Harmer (@harmer805) June 30, 2018
He did it with far less fanfare than he did the last time he left his hometown team, the Cleveland Cavaliers. In fact, he’s gotten a lot of love from the fans in Cleveland this time around for “coming home” and delivering the city its first professional championship since 1964.
And James has reciprocated, thanking Cleveland for “an incredible four seasons” in an Instagram post.
“This will always be home,” James said of Ohio.
From @KingJames IG story pic.twitter.com/RRC8IamdNf
— Cassidy Hubbarth (@CassidyHubbarth) July 2, 2018
Even Cavs owner Dan Gilbert, who came unhinged when James left for Miami in 2010, is accepting of his star player’s move to Los Angeles.
“Virtually anyone with roots in Northeast Ohio paused and felt the memories of the past and the utter joy that the burden of the so-called ‘curse’ was finally a thing of the past. Cleveland, Ohio was the home of a championship team for the first time since 1964. Words do not express the meaning and the feeling this accomplishment brought to the people of Northeast Ohio,” Gilbert added.
“None of this would have happened if LeBron James did not agree to come back home and lead the Cavaliers to the promised land. The entire Cavaliers franchise thanks LeBron for that precious moment and for all of the excitement he delivered as he led our team to four straight NBA Finals appearances,” Gilbert wrote.
It’s a far cry from “I personally guarantee that the Cleveland Cavaliers will win an NBA championship before the self-titled former ‘King’ wins one,” as Gilbert wrote in 2010.
That prediction didn’t quite work out, but he did win a title thanks to James. Now, that chapter is closed and Gilbert, the fans and James all prepare for that next chapter.
Welcome to the family @KingJames #lakers4life #striveforgreatness @JeanieBuss @MagicJohnson and RP well done!!! 🙌🏾
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) July 2, 2018
Naturally, there’s tremendous excitement in Los Angeles. But the Lakers have a long way to go to contend in the stacked Western Conference, so it’ll be interesting to see what moves Magic Johnson and the rest of the Lakers front office will make next to build a contender around James.
With Paul George re-signing with the Thunder and Chris Paul heading back to the Rockets, the big free-agent targets now have to be Kawhi Leonard via trade with the Spurs and the Pelicans’ DeMarcus Cousins, who is a free agent.
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