LeBron James

James starred in the Los Angeles Lakers' 126-117 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers, amassing 44 points at Staples Center on Wednesday.

The Lakers superstar traced his mind back to his roots in Akron, Ohio after bettering Wilt Chamberlain's tally of 31,419 points.

"I don't know how I feel right now, I'm just happy we were able to get another win," said James.

"But any time my name is mentioned with some of the greats that played this game, I always think back to my hometown, where I've come from and how far I've come."

Kaepernick, 30, has not played in the NFL since opting out of his contract with the San Francisco 49ers in 2017, following a season in which he was both praised and criticised for kneeling during the national anthem in protest at perceived police brutality and racial injustice.

But Kaepernick and his protest have remained in the public eye and became the face of Nike's latest "Just Do It" advertising campaign last month, for which he was later backed by James.

James had said in an interview that Mr Trump was divisive and had emboldened racists.

In response, Mr Trump questioned James' intelligence, saying it was not easy to make the NBA player "look smart".

However, Mrs Trump's spokeswoman said James was "working to do good things" with a school in his Ohio hometown.

She said Mrs Trump wanted "to have an open dialogue about issues facing children".

Earlier this week, James told CNN during an interview with Don Lemon that sport had offered him the opportunity to meet people of different backgrounds and race.

The 33-year-old superstar announced via his agency he has agreed to a $154million contract with the Lakers.

James will not comment further on his decision to join the Lakers, according to a report from ESPN.

James averaged 27.5 points and 8.6 rebounds per game for the Cleveland Cavaliers last season. He upped those numbers to 34 points and 9.1 rebounds during Cleveland's run to the NBA Finals, where they were swept by the Golden State Warriors.

James, 33, would have made $35.6 million in the 2018-19 season had he exercised his option with the Cavs. According to ESPN, James could still fetch as much as $207 million over five years from the Cavaliers, while other teams can offer a max of $152 million over four years.

James had until Friday at midnight ET to opt out of the final year of his existing deal with the Cavaliers. He could still re-sign with Cleveland, although the strong current from national media is James appears ready to move again.

James, who has the ability to utilise a player option in his contract and become a free agent, is believed to be ready to move on from Cleveland. The Ohio native brought a championship to the Cavaliers in his second stint with the team, but it appears he may end his career in a different jersey.

Here are three fits for James this offseason and three teams to avoid:

HITS

James continued his dominance on Sunday, leading the Cavaliers to an 87-79 victory over the Celtics in Boston as Cleveland earned their fourth successive trip to the Finals.

Cavs superstar James scored a game-high 35 points with 15 rebounds and nine assists to see Cleveland clinch a 4-3 series win.

Elite in all facets of the game, James controlled the tempo and stepped up defensively to stop Boston's young, athletic line-up at TD Garden.

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Aaron Carey, who played basketball at Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary High School six years after the Cleveland Cavaliers superstar did, started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for the statue.

“We want to do this with the fans,” Carey told the Akron Beacon-Journal. "We want fans to be able to thank LeBron for what he has done for Akron and the Cavs.”

Carey has contacted Omri Amrany, who has created statues of many basketball legends, including Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

James became just the third player in NBA history to score at least 2,000 points in 10 or more consecutive seasons following his haul of 37 points in Cleveland's 121-114 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday.

The three-time NBA champion and four-time MVP sits behind Hall of Famers Karl Marlone (12) and Michael Jordan (11) on the short list.

James – in his 15th NBA season – finished the game with 37 points on 14-of-19 shooting with 10 rebounds and eight assists.

LeBron James has now reached 2,000-points this season.

The Cavaliers conceded 79 points in the first half but James led the comeback with 35 points, 17 assists and zero turnovers midweek.

In doing so, James became the first player with at least 35 points, 15 assists and no turnovers in a game since turnovers were first tracked in 1977-78.

Kevin Love, playing in just his second game back from injury, scored 23 points with 12 rebounds in 30 minutes. More importantly, he and James have displayed excellent camaraderie since his return.