CLEVELAND: LeBron James is leaving home for Hollywood and an iconic team.
The Los Angeles Lakers have a new superstar — L.A.-Bron.
The four-time NBA MVP announced Sunday night that he has agreed to a four-year, $154 million contract with the Lakers, joining one of the league’s most storied franchises and switching conferences to try and dethrone the Golden State Warriors and grow his own legacy.
For the second time in his career, James is saying goodbye to the Cleveland Cavaliers, who drafted the teenage sensation from Akron in 2003 and have to be satisfied with winning just one title in the 11 years they had him.
Unlike his two previous forays in free agency, James did not drag out his decision and made the announcement less than 24 hours after NBA free agency opened.
This Summer of LeBron was barely a fling.
His management agency, Klutch Sports Group, announced his agreement with the Lakers in a release. It was a stark contrast from eight years ago, when a poorly conceived TV special to announce his departure from Cleveland backfired and damaged James’ image.
The game’s biggest star will now lead a young Lakers team — run by Lakers Hall of Famer Magic Johnson — that has been overmatched in recent years while rebuilding. But the Lakers will instantly rise with James, a three-time champion who after being swept by the Warriors in this year’s NBA Finals said he is still driven and very much in “championship mode.”
The Lakers’ legacy is something that appealed to James and it wasn’t long after his announcement that he heard from Kobe Bryant, who won five titles during 20 seasons with Los Angeles.
“Welcome to the family @KingJames,” Bryant said on Twitter . “#lakers4life #striveforgreatness.”
Los Angeles will also provide James with a larger platform for his business interests and social activism. He already owns two homes in Southern California and has a film production company.
This is the third time in eight years James has changed teams. After bolting from Cleveland in 2010, he returned in an emotional homecoming four years later, determined to make the Cavs champions. The 33-year-old had previously said he wanted to finish his career in Ohio, and although he’s leaving again, Cavs fans are more forgiving after he ended the city’s 52-year sport title drought in 2016.
Shortly after the announcement, which came in a surprising manner, James posted a three-photo tribute to Cleveland fans on his Instagram account.
“Thank you Northeast Ohio for an incredible four seasons,” James wrote. “This will always be home.”
But there will always be a portion of Cleveland fans disappointed that James left again and that he wouldn’t give the Cavs a longer commitment. His deal with the Lakers is his longest since he signed for six years with Miami in 2010.
James informed the Cavs on Friday that he was not exercising his $35.6 million option and becoming a free agent. While in Los Angeles following a family vacation, he spoke to Cavs general manager Koby Altman moments after free agency opened on Sunday, and it appears that was more a courtesy than a chance for Cleveland to make one last pitch.
The decision to join the Lakers was not a surprise to his innermost circle, with one person telling AP that it had been presumed for some time that he was headed to Los Angeles next season. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because no one authorized that detail be released publicly.
James gave Cleveland something to remember in his final season. He played in all 82 regular-season games and then somehow carried a team that underwent several transformations to a fourth straight conference title and matchup against the Warriors.
As has been the case in the past, James didn’t have enough help as the Cavs were swept, dropping him to 3-6 in the NBA Finals — a record sometimes used to compare him to Michael Jordan.
His stay with the Cavaliers will best be remembered for 2016, when he rallied the Cavs from a 3-1 deficit in the finals to stun the Warriors. James helped seal a Game 7 win with a chase-down block of Andre Iguodala, the signature moment of a career that has shown no signs of decay.
With the Lakers, James will be playing in the Western Conference for the first time and just down the Pacific Coast Highway from the Warriors, the team that has stymied him three times in the past four finals.
The chance to play for one of America’s most storied franchises was appealing to James, who prides himself on knowing the game’s history. In Los Angeles, championships are the standard and he’ll feel new pressure in upholding the legacies of Johnson, Bryant, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jerry West and other Lakers greats.
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LeBron James makes shock move from Cavaliers to LA Lakers
LeBron James makes shock move from Cavaliers to LA Lakers
- The four-time NBA MVP announced Sunday night that he has agreed to a four-year, $154 million contract with the Lakers, joining one of the league’s most storied franchises.
- The game’s biggest star will now lead a young Lakers team — run by Lakers Hall of Famer Magic Johnson — that has been overmatched in recent years while rebuilding.
Royal Rumble set for historic Saudi debut as fan demand breaks records
- KAFD Arena built in record time for flagship pro wrestling event
- More than 700,000 fans queued on WeBook at ticket release
RIYADH: Professional wrestling has long been a polarising spectacle. Whether labelled a sport, an art for or a scripted show, one thing is now clear: WWE has captured the Saudi market in unprecedented fashion over the past decade.
Originally the home of marquee events outside WWE’s traditional “Big Four” Premium Live Events, such as Crown Jewel, Saudi Arabia quickly became a yearly fixture on the global wrestling calendar after the Saudi General Sports Authority struck a 10-year deal with the company.
2025, however, saw a landmark announcement. For the first time in history, one of WWE’s “Big Four”, the Royal Rumble, would be staged outside North America. Riyadh was confirmed as the host city, with the event headlined by the iconic 30-man and 30-woman Royal Rumble matches, where competitors enter at timed intervals until only one remains.
Months later, WWE confirmed another historic first: Wrestlemania would also make its way to Saudi Arabia, with the 43rd edition set to be held in the Kingdom in 2027.
For local fans, the moment is still difficult to comprehend. Nawaf Al-Hazmi, President of the Voltage Team Fans Association, the world’s first wrestling clan, described the journey as nothing short of surreal.
“If you told me 10 years ago that Wrestlemania would be hosted in Saudi Arabia, I would have laughed,” he said.
“We saw the ‘Greatest Royal Rumble’ take place here in 2018 with 50 wrestlers, but this is the real deal. The Royal Rumble. You see the crowds, they love wrestling here.”
Al-Hazmi is one of the pioneers of wrestling culture in Saudi Arabia and leads the Voltage Team Wrestling Clan, which has grown to more than 1,100 members in the past few years.
“If you see the Tiktok videos ranking the best wrestling crowds in WWE history, Saudi Arabia is always part of the top five,” he said. “In Saudi, we are passionate about various sports — football, F1 — and the same can be said for pro wrestling.”
One of the biggest talking points after WWE’s deal with Saudi Arabia was centred on whether a genuine fan base existed, but Al-Hazmi claims wrestling culture has long been part of Saudi Arabia.
“My father, my grandfather — have watched wrestling for a long time,” he admitted. “From Hulk Hogan to The Ultimate Warrior to Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts. Wrestling has always been part of our culture.”
The passion was reflected in the demand for the Royal Rumble, with more than 700,000 fans waiting in a virtual queue on WeBook when tickets were released.
“In Saudi Arabia, everyone loves wrestling. The passion of the fans is unbelievable,” Al-Hazmi expressed.
The event has also dominated social media discussion due to the rapid construction of the newly unveiled KAFD Arena. After weeks of speculation over the venue, WeBook confirmed the arena would host both Smackdown and the Royal Rumble itself.
“When KAFD Arena was announced, people were surprised,” Al-Hazmi said. “Where would it be? Inside KAFD? How would it work?”
Less than a month later, the venue was complete.
“People on social media thought it was a joke,” he added. “But now you see the stadium, the backdrop. In Saudi Arabia, nothing is impossible.”
The growth of wrestling in Saudi Arabia has not been limited to WWE. Saudi Pro Wrestling (SPW), part of the famous independent wrestling scene, has also seen a sharp rise in interest.
“At our last show, we sold out 400 tickets,” Al-Hazmi said. “We have more than 20 superstars on the roster, over 50 wrestlers training at the academy and even international names coming from the UK, the US and Mexico. Kalisto, a former WWE superstar, is currently one half of the SPW Tag Team Champions.”
The Royal Rumble will take place on January 31, preceded by Smackdown on January 30. Stars including highly popular Sami Zayn will battle for the WWE Undisputed Championship, while Cody Rhodes, Rey Mysterio and Roman Reigns are among the names set to enter the Men's Royal Rumble match.
It has been a long and, at times, controversional journey for professional wrestling in Saudi Arabia. Yet the response from the fans has delivered a clear message: when it comes to hosting the sport’s biggest spectacles, few places can now rival the Kingdom.
