LeBron James shocked the sports world when he signed a two-year, $8 million contract with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Most people who cover the NBA thought James would sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers to end his legendary career where it started.
It appears James strongly considered going back to the Cavaliers this summer, as according to Shams Charania of ESPN, James met with Cleveland’s brass at his Akron home.
The Cavaliers were the only team James granted an in-person meeting with during free agency.
“I’m told that LeBron met with a Cavs brass in his home in Akron, Ohio,” Charania said. “That brass consisted of VP of Business Grant Gilbert, President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman, assistant general manager Brandon Weems. And these two sides, it was just these four in this room. They sat together, talked about his basketball legacy, what a reunion, a third stint in Cleveland would look like.
“And of course, anytime you’re talking about LeBron going back to Cleveland, I think giving that meeting, granting that meeting to them, a lot of it more than anything was respect for the organization. We know about his history there, led them to a championship for the first time in 50 years. He’s a hometown kid, hometown team. He wanted to do right by the Cavs, more than even the Sixers or the Heat, by giving them that meeting. Of course he ends up deciding on the Sixers.”
James has played for the Cavaliers twice (2003-10, 2014-18). He’s the greatest player in franchise history and was born and raised in Akron, Ohio. James won two MVPs and one Finals MVP and made 10 All-Star teams and 10 All-NBA teams with his hometown club.
The Cavaliers beat the 73-9 Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals. James and Co. are the only team in NBA history to erase a 3-1 series deficit in the NBA Finals.
Cleveland made the Eastern Conference Finals last season for the first time since 2018. The New York Knicks swept the Cavaliers, who wanted to pair James with Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.
Instead, James is now teammates with Joel Embiid, Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe in Philadelphia.
