The Philadelphia 76ers were able to win the LeBron James sweepstakes after eight seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers. The future Hall of Famer averaged 25.9 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 7.9 assists during his time in LA and brought the franchise a championship in 2020. Safe to say, his time in LA was successful.
Even in the 2025-26 season, James was still one of the best in the league. He averaged 20.9 points, 7.2 assists, and 6.1 rebounds while leading LA to a 53-29 record and a series win over the Houston Rockets. James upped his scoring average and led the Lakers to an impressive series win before he left for the Sixers in free agency.
Lakers President of Basketball Operations Rob Pelinka spoke with the media on Thursday and thanked James for
his time in LA:
I thought it would be appropriate, just at the front, to express gratitude for the LeBron era here. Clearly, new team, new players, and that's what we're gonna talk about today, but we just, as an organization, are still grateful for the run that we had with him here. The Lakers have become, as they should, a perennial playoff team. Won a championship. Went to the Western Conference finals. It was a great era and we're grateful for it.
“I thought it would be appropriate to express gratitude for the LeBron era here. It was a great era and we're grateful for it.”
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 24, 2026
Rob Pelinka on LeBron James leaving the Lakers 🙌 pic.twitter.com/9fE6xPXz9B
James will make his return to LA on Christmas Day when the Sixers head West to take on the Lakers. One has to believe he will get a warm welcome from the organization as well as the faithful fans in Los Angeles.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Lakers president Rob Pelinka thanks Sixers' LeBron James for his time
