Los Angeles Lakers fans around the world celebrated last night after the signing of NBA superstar LeBron James was officially announced.
The franchise would not disclose the terms of his contract, but ESPN reporter Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted that the former Cleveland Cavaliers forward had penned a four-year deal worth $153m (£115.5m).
The signing of ‘King’ James, a three-time NBA champion and four-time NBA most valuable player (MVP), is a “special” moment, says Earvin “Magic” Johnson, the Lakers’ president of basketball operations.
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In a statement, basketball legend Johnson said: “Today is a great day for the Lakers organisation. LeBron is special. He is the best player in the world. 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 play-offs and to the NBA Finals.”
The King’s NBA career
- First player in NBA history to accumulate at least 30,000 career points, 8,000 rebounds and 8,000 assists
- Three-time NBA champion
- Four-time NBA MVP
- 23: his shirt number
- 15 years in the NBA
- 1,143 career regular season games for Cleveland and Miami
- Averages 27.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 1.6 steals per game
- Seventh in total points scored (31,038)
- 11th in all-time assists (8,208)
- 16th in career steals (1,865)
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