Pelinka: LeBron Exit to Sixers 'Done Amicably' — SkimNews
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- Rob Pelinka said LeBron James' summer departure was "done amicably, professionally, gracefully" at a Thursday season-opening news conference — two months after James signed a two-year, $8 million deal with the Philadelphia 76ers on June 30.
- LeBron James told reporters at February 2024 All-Star weekend he was "happy being a Laker," and Pelinka publicly lobbied to bring him back at a May 12 exit interview after the Lakers' second-round playoff loss to Oklahoma City — making the free-agency reversal a stark contrast.
- James' agent Rich Paul of Klutch Sports informed the Lakers roughly eight hours before the official start of free agency that his client would seek a new team, per Pelinka's account.
- JJ Redick — James' former co-host on the "Mind the Game" podcast — did not address the four-time champion's exit directly but said the current Lakers roster is "the first time in my three years here that I feel like the pieces actually fit together."
- James has not elaborated on his L.A. exit, but a new "Mind the Game" episode with co-host Steve Nash drops Friday, followed by his first remarks at Sixers media day Monday in Camden, New Jersey.
- Pelinka framed James' eight years in L.A. as "a great era" featuring a 2020 championship and a Western Conference finals run, with the franchise positioned as "a perennial playoff team."
Why it matters: The Lakers are publicly turning the page on a championship-era star while simultaneously asserting Redick's retooled roster is more cohesive than any group he's had in three years — a confidence vote in the post-LeBron plan. James, meanwhile, has yet to explain the reversal from his spring pledge to stay in L.A., with answers due Friday on his podcast and Monday at Sixers media day.
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