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LeBron James put all the rumors and speculation to rest when his agent's Rich Paul's company Klutch Sports Group announced late on Sunday night that the King would be signing with the 16-time World Champions - the Los Angeles Lakers.
It might not make them immediate championship contenders but this move brings the Lakers back to relevancy. The chances and odds of him joining the purple and gold seemed all but done when LeBron declined his $35.6 million dollar option for the next season with the Cleveland Cavaliers, early on Friday morning.
The Lakers would be the third team for the 33-year old after previous stints with the Cavs and the Miami Heat. He joins greats like Shaquille O'Neal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain, who moved from the East to sign with the Lakers.
At the end of his tremendous 2018 Playoff run where he averaged 34 points, 9.1 rebounds and 9.0 assists over 22 games, LeBron made it clear in a press conference that he was eager to play with more mature and high IQ players. While the Lakers might not meet the maturity benchmark, their young core is certainly talented and smart.
His long-term deal with the team shows his commitment to the team. This move seems to be the most logical one available and while it seemed more or less a guarantee for everybody, it still got the NBA Twitter universe to go crazy.
Here's a compilation of the best reaction from LeBron joining the Lakers:
