Luc Longley applauded LeBron James and his bravery after swapping the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Los Angeles Lakers, a move the three-time NBA champion "totally" understands.

James led the Cavaliers to their first championship in 2016 and four successive NBA Finals – Cleveland losing out to the Golden State Warriors on three occasions – in his second spell at Quicken Loans Arena.

Meanwhile, the Lakers – the most storied and glamorous franchise in the league – have not featured in the playoffs since 2012-13, however 33-year-old superstar James opted to head to Los Angeles as a free agent.

The Lakers have made a slow start even with James on the court following three consecutive losses but former Chicago Bulls center Longley – who played alongside Hall of Famer Michael Jordan during the team's three-peat from 1996 to 1998 – believes the stars will align in LA thanks to the three-time champion and four-time MVP.

"I think if anyone can, LeBron can," Australian Longley told Omnisport. "I think it's a great storyline to watch.

"I think LeBron is brave. I think he could have sat comfortably in Cleveland and seen out his years, and tried to have good players around him. Obviously he wanted a new challenge and to re-stimulate himself in other ways.

"LA is an exciting town. A storied franchise. I totally get it. I think it's going to be really fun to watch. They have a cast of characters there. It might take them a year or two to shake all that out and figure out who they are.

"They're obviously not shy. Magic Johnson and the board are rolling the dice. It's brave what LeBron is doing with them. It's another team I'll be watching as a result. I haven't watched them for a few years but I will this season.

"The stars were there when the Lakers were average but there will be more of them now guaranteed."