LOS ANGELES — Mayor Eric Garcetti praised his city’s latest acquisition, although fans a few blocks from city hall left the store attached to Staples Center minus a token of LeBron James’ arrival on Monday. “Los Angeles is the world’s greatest sports town — where we measure success in championship banners, where we build statues to honor the greats, and where there are already many Laker legends among the best to ever play basketball,” Garcetti said in a statement to USA TODAY Sports. “I couldn’t be prouder of this team. LeBron, you made the right decision. Welcome to L.A.” A couple left the Team LA store without the James No. 23 Los Angeles Lakers jersey they both coveted Monday afternoon. “I’m very disappointed,” Jhonnatan Orozco said. “I guess with the turnaround time, they couldn’t do it that quick.” Dozens of people filed in and out of this store Monday seeking James jerseys, although, technically, they can’t be sold yet. James hasn’t officially been signed by the Lakers, even through James and the Lakers agreed to a four year, $154 million contract on Sunday. More:LeBron James' business, basketball worlds collide in Los Angeles More:LeBron James' exit leaves Celtics, 76ers as favorites in wide-open Eastern Conference More:Rajon Rondo joining LeBron James in Los Angeles, but what does it mean for Lonzo Ball? The deal won't become official until July 6 when the new league year begins, so that means no James Lakers merchandise until then. That hasn’t stopped James jersey pre-orders online, which began to roll in minutes after his Lakers deal was announced Sunday. In a three-hour span (9 p.m. to midnight ET), LeBron’s Lakers jersey on Fanatics.com and the NBA's official online store run by Fanatics made it into the top 10 of single-day NBA jersey sales since numbers began to be tracked a decade ago. That three-hour window also outpaced James’ return to Cleveland four years ago by 600%, according to a Fanatics spokesperson. Los Angeles was the top market, understandably, for James jersey pre-sales on Fanatics, which began selling the jersey with a double zero. (It was announced Monday that James would stick his usual No. 23 when he begins his Lakers career.) New York, the San Francisco Bay Area and Cleveland rounded out the early James jersey orders. Fanatics can make the jerseys before Friday, although the company – and authorized retailers – can't sell them until the deal becomes official, meaning it will be a little more of a wait for people like Orozco and his girlfriend, Sandra Rico. “I’m going to get a home jersey,” said Rico, whose favorite jersey she currently owns is a No. 24 Kobe Bryant.<doc-sep>LeBron James will play in the number 23 for the Los Angeles Lakers next year When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Sign up fornow and never miss the top F1 stories again Within minutes of the news emerging online, the Lakers’ official Instagram account had uploaded a photo of James wearing the kit for the first time. The 33-year-old will wear number 23 – the same number he has worn since leaving Miami in 2014 – but will reportedly wear number six during practise to pay homage to his time in South Beach. Lakers fans were left stunned by the picture as the news finally began to sink in, with one writing: “I still can’t believe this is real.<doc-sep>People photograph a mural of LeBron James in a Los Angeles Lakers jersey painted by Jonas Never and Menso One in Venice, California to welcome James to his new team (AFP Photo/Frederic J. BROWN) Los Angeles (AFP) - LeBron James signed his new four-year NBA contract worth $154 million with the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday, with Lakers president Earvin "Magic" Johnson calling it a "huge step" for the team. The Klutch Sports Group, agents for James, tweeted a photo of the four-time NBA Most Valuable Player on Monday night with "officially signed with the Lakers" as the caption. The agents revealed July 1, hours after the start of free agency, that James had agreed to terms on the Lakers deal, leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers after four seasons in which he led them to four NBA Finals. James brought Cleveland its first major sports crown since 1964 when the Cavs won the 2016 NBA crown but lost three of four finals showdowns with the Golden State Warriors, falling to 3-6 for his career in the NBA Finals, and decided to make a move in hopes of rebuilding the Lakers into a winner. The Lakers tweeted an image of James wearing the team's purple and gold jersey with his name and number, 23, on the back and the city lights of Los Angeles in the background plus "The King has arrived" as a caption. "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." The Lakers, a 16-time NBA champion, have missed the playoffs for five consecutive seasons. They haven't gone past the second round of the playoffs since Kobe Bryant led the Lakers to consecutive NBA titles in 2009 and 2010. James was third in the NBA last season with 27.5 points a game, matched his career high with 8.6 rebounds and was second in the NBA with a career-high 9.1 assists while shooting 54.2 percent from the floor. Story continues The 15-year NBA veteran became the first NBA with 30,000 career points, 8,000 rebounds and 8,000 assists. "This is a historic moment for the Lakers, and we could not feel more grateful and honored," Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said. "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. "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 number 17 to the world's best fans -- Lakers Nation." James has played in 1,143 career regular season games for the Cavaliers and Miami Heat, averaging 27.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 1.6 steals per game. He ranks seventh in career NBA scoring with 31,038 points, 11th in all-time assists with 8,208 and 16th in career steals with 1,865. James also won Olympic gold medals in 2008 at Beijing and 2012 at London.<doc-sep>
As it turned out, we didn't have to wait long for LeBron James to make his decision. Less than 24 hours after the opening of NBA free agency, LeBron's agency put out a press release announcing that "The King" will be taking his talents to Staples Center to join the Los Angeles Lakers. It doesn't take much explanation to realize that the best basketball player on Earth joining one of the most famous sports franchises of all time is an interesting and exciting move. And NBA fans apparently agree, as sales for LeBron's Lakers jersey are through the roof. LeBron will be sticking with the No. 23, according to a report from Darren Rovell. Via ESPN: Preorders for new Lakers LeBron James jerseys were robust enough on Sunday night to give retailer Fanatics one of its top 10 sales days in terms of NBA gear sold, a spokesman for the company told ESPN. James will wear No. 23, the same number he wore in both of his Cleveland stops, league sources have told ESPN. In the first three hours of sales, there was a 600 percent spike compared to how his new Cavaliers jersey sold on the site on the day when he returned to Cleveland from Miami in July 2014. The top markets for sales of LeBron's Lakers jersey were Los Angeles, New York, Oakland/San Francisco and Cleveland. This isn't too much of a surprise, considering LeBron is one of the most popular players and the Lakers are one of the most popular teams in the league. Put them together and you have a lot of excitement. Still, the extent to which people have already snapped up these jerseys is pretty amazing. Plus, it's pretty interesting that one of the best markets was Cleveland. It shows how different the city is reacting to this move as compared to the first time LeBron left town back in 2010.