Rich Paul reveals LeBron James' departure from the Lakers: his willingness to return dropped from 80% all the way down, and he ultimately canceled the face-to-face meeting.

On July 1st Beijing time, agent Rich Paul revealed LeBron James' thought process behind deciding to leave the Lakers during a show. Here's what happened—

"Obviously, he has always been a max-level superstar, and the team used to free up max salary cap space to keep him... But this time was completely different. I told him: Listen, this is your 24th year in the league, you don't owe anyone anything. Your achievements surpass every player in history, you've collected all the records, your career is already complete, and you have every right to make any decision based on that."

Rich Paul also asked James: "What do you truly want in your heart? I don't need an answer right now, but we can figure it out together."

James said okay, asked Rich Paul to give him a day or two, and then he would call back.After a while, James called back and told Rich Paul: "Right now, I just want to live completely at ease."

Rich Paul responded: "Alright, then let's start from the idea of 'ease.'"

Then they delved deeper: What exactly does this ease mean? The definition varies from person to person—it's not like giving a box of chocolates on Valentine's Day with a standard answer. How would you define that happiness?

As they talked, they reached a consensus: If the core need is pursuing ease, then money cannot come first. Even if a contract offers the highest salary, it may not bring the most happiness. We talked through that line of thinking thoroughly.

Finally, James stated: "My choice has nothing to do with salary. I'm not saying I won't take any money, but my decision won't be based on how much I earn. I'll follow my own heart and make the choice the way I want."

Rich Paul said: "I understand. So what is your gut feeling right now? Tell me your real thoughts."

James replied: "I have reasons to want to come back, and I also have reasons not to stay."

Rich Paul pressed further: "In terms of probability, how willing are you to return to the Lakers right now?"

James answered: "Eighty percent."

This conversation happened a few weeks ago. As he kept calming down and weighing things repeatedly, that probability of returning kept dropping, and soon it was only sixty percent.

James later came to realize one thing: he knew staying with the Lakers would give him the highest salary, but for himself at this moment, continuing to stay might not be the best option. This summer he might choose to leave.

Rich Paul double-checked: "Are you one hundred percent sure you don't want to come back?"

James finally gave a definitive answer. At first, there was still an 80% willingness to return, but after every subsequent conversation, that number kept declining, until now he has completely made up his mind to leave the team. Rich Paul verified with him repeatedly, and his attitude never changed.

Rich Paul said on the show: "I had to coordinate all the various situations in advance: now there are multiple teams interested in signing him, and some teams have already dropped out. It's a two-part situation. I need to proactively communicate with the Lakers and let them know the current status, so they can also push forward their own roster plans. We've been very considerate of the Lakers' feelings and maintained full respect throughout."

"I, Pelinka, and he himself had multiple in-depth conversations. We originally scheduled a face-to-face meeting to discuss possible cooperation solutions and also sorted out the conditions both sides could agree on.But in the end, neither side arranged the meeting—we didn't want to waste everyone's time for nothing."

And so, James made his final decision, ending his tenure with the Lakers. Next, he will evaluate all potential options and decide which team to play for next season.