Former Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James revealed that the opportunity of joining the Los Angeles Lakers was a chance he couldn't pass up.
James who left the Cleveland in this year's free agency moved to Los Angeles nearly a month ago after inking a whopping four-year $153 million deal with the Lakers. The 33-year-old James is hoping to give the Lakers its long lost glory after missing the playoffs in the last five seasons.
The Lakers won 16 championships with their last titular-victory coming in the 2010 NBA season. The team is currently made up of young talents such as Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, Brandon Ingram, and Kyle Kuzma.
"I think timing is everything. For me to be in this position now, the excitement I have to be a Laker, I'm happy to be a part of it because I believe the Lakers is a historical franchise, and that's what we're trying to get back to," James said during the eve of the opening of his I Promise school.
The I Promise school was made possible through the partnership between the Akron (Ohio) Public School System and the LeBron James Family Foundation. It is a public school in Akron that will provide services for students and their families in an effort to bolster their performance and education.
James Wanted To Be Laker
According to the Los Angeles Times, James has been interested in joining the Lakers for a long time. The Lakers landed James after the former Cavalier and Magic Johnson met in the early hours of free agency.
Johnson met James and his agent Rich Paul at Brentwood to discuss basketball and business. Aside from James, the Lakers have also acquired Rajon Rondo, Michael Beasley, JaVale McGee, and Lance Stephenson in free agency.
Lakers Will Benefit From James' Contribution
James is fresh off one of his best seasons in the league after suiting up in all 82 regular-season games with the Cavaliers. He finished the season with a third-best 27.5 points per game to go along with career-highs of 8.6 rebounds and 9.1 assists.
The 15-year NBA veteran was also instrumental in leading Cleveland into its fourth straight NBA Finals, wherein they were swept by the Golden State Warriors. He also recorded a league-best for most total points scored with 2,251 points.
In addition, James who has been an NBA All-Star in the past 14 seasons also made history by becoming just the first player in the league to register at least 30,000 career points, 8,000 assists, and 8,000 rebounds. He currently holds the longest double-digit scoring streak at 873 consecutive games.
Photo: Keith Allison | Flickr
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