The King is moving on from Los Angeles.

LeBron James will continue his career next season but informed the Los Angeles Lakers he will play elsewhere, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Tuesday.

It had been unclear whether James would retire after his 23rd NBA season, but he isn’t ready to call it a career just yet. 

The 41-year-old James spent the past eight seasons in L.A., which included bringing home the fourth NBA title of his career in 2020.

James appeared in 60 games last season, averageing 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists on 51.5 per cent shooting. He fell more into a secondary role behind Luka Doncic. 

Where the aging superstar heads next remains up in the air, but there have been reports connecting James to the Golden State Warriors.

The Warriors are working towards a massive two-pronged swing to bring James and former Lakers co-star Anthony Davis under their umbrella to play alongside Stephen Curry, Charania reported Monday.

“The Warriors, in the last several days, have formulated a grand plan of putting together a Big 4 of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Anthony Davis and LeBron James,” Charania said. “But in order to do that, they needed the flexibility of Draymond Green opting out of his contract.”

The first domino fell on Monday, as Green is reportedly set to opt out of his $27.7 million player option for the 2026-27 season and may re-sign with the Warriors on a significantly cheaper deal in order to afford the team financial flexibility.

By opting out, the Warriors can offer a free agent $15 million with their mid-level exception. That exception could be used on James, according to Charania.

To acquire Davis, Golden State would then have to swing a deal with the Washington Wizards — who acquired Davis from the Dallas Mavericks ahead of the 2025 trade deadline — and send the currently injured Jimmy Butler back the other way.

Charania noted that a deal for James would only get done if the Warriors could first acquire Davis, as the two enjoyed their time together in Los Angeles, having won a title in 2020.

“AD and LeBron James would have to be a package deal in order to come to Golden State and team up with Steph,” Charania said. 

James’ career, spanning three decades, has rewritten history books. Following the 2025-26 season, his 43,440 points and 1,622 games played are both benchmarks for the most all-time. 

The Akron, Ohio, native has also made 21 All-NBA teams, has won four MVP awards, made six All-Defence teams and was named to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team. 

James has four NBA Championships and four Finals MVPs. He has won a title on every team he’s been on: the Lakers, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Miami Heat.