If you thought LeBron James signing his 4-year/$154 million deal with the Lakers (which was announced more than a week ago) was already official, you'd be forgiven. After all, nobody's writing "what if" articles on LeBron James getting second thoughts about signing with the Lakers, and nobody of note (outside of Joel Embiid) is trying to encourage a last second change of heart.
If that ever was a possibility, it's now officially over. Both the Lakers and LeBron's reps at Klutch Sports verified that the decision is a done deal:
The Lakers also released a fairly lengthy statement about their extremely high profile signing, which was accompanied with fairly standard quotes from President of Basketball Operations Magic Johnson, as well as team GM Rob Pelinka.
"Today is a great day for the Lakers organization and Lakers fans all over the world to welcome LeBron James, a three-time NBA Champion and four-time NBA MVP," Johnson said. "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 playoffs and to the NBA Finals."
Pelinka echoed that by saying "This is a historic moment for the Lakers, and we could not feel more grateful and honored. When LeBron James – a perennial NBA MVP and champion who is playing at the most astonishing levels of his career – chooses to join the Lakers, it serves as the ultimate validation for what we are building here. However, we all know that the work is not yet done. We will continue forward and do all that is necessary to achieve our shared obsession of bringing banner No. 17 to the world’s best fans – Lakers Nation."
So much for cold feet.
