LeBron James took the stage on July 16 at Fanatics Fest and wouldn’t answer the question on everyone’s mind: where will he play next season?
James, 41, spent the past eight seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, the longest stint with any team in the four-time MVP and four-time champion’s storied career. He also played for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat during his career.
The next move could take him back to a former team or somewhere else to close out his 23-year career, which began in 2003 as the top overall pick by the Cavs. It looks like the Indiana Pacers may be out of the running as guard Tyrese Haliburton talked with James during the Mind the Game podcast at the event.
“I texted Bron maybe a month ago, before he even made his decision to leave L.A., and I said, ‘Hey, if you want to come to Indiana, we can make something crack,’” Haliburton said during the podcast while looking in James’s direction.
“And he texted me back two laughing/crying faces, and that’s all I got. So, I decided from then on that I’m done pursuing him.”
Indiana would fit from a championship contention standpoint. ESPN’s NBA insider Shams Charania reported that James wants that quality in a team. Charania named teams in the running.
James fed off the crowd, naming teams that matched the ones Charania mentioned. Those teams include the Heat, Golden State Warriors, and Philadelphia 76ers.
“Where? Where did I hear?” James said. “I heard Warriors. I heard Philly. Miami. This guy just told me to come to the Yankees.”
Charania also reported that the Cavs and Minnesota Timberwolves are in the running. All of those teams made the postseason last season.
Out of those teams, the Heat have dropped the biggest potential hint. Heat President Pat Riley noted “there’s another one we have to land” during the introductory press conference for Giannis Antetokounmpo in June.
James made one thing clear during his appearances: his family. He has a mansion in the Los Angeles area and in the Akron, Ohio, area, and he has one son playing at the University of Arizona.
“I’m a big family guy. People are like, hurry up and make a [expletive] decision, Bron,” James said. “It’s like, OK, it’s not just about the team. There’s so many other factors that I’m factoring in right now on what not only best fit me as a player, what best fit me as a person, what best fit me as a … my happiness, and also with my family as well.”
That would make the Cavs a strong option.
Minneapolis is a 4-hour flight to Akron and Los Angeles, and the Wolves have one of the game’s biggest stars in guard Anthony Edwards. Cleveland also has a major star in Donovan Mitchell.
Minnesota would offer a unique challenge for a franchise that has never won a title and a state that hasn’t seen a major pro sports champion since 1991. Cleveland would give him a chance to finish out with his hometown NBA team and possibly win one more title. Regardless of where he goes, James believes he has plenty left.
“I’m seeing something on social media the other day that, wherever I go, we may be in the Play-In or some [expletive] like that, and I’m not a factor anymore,” James said during the Game Plan event at Fanatics Fest. “So maybe that as well, too, is a little motivation.”
