When LeBron James won the 2016 NBA championship, he fulfilled a promise he previously made to the Cavaliers and the city of Cleveland. Not only did he make history winning the first title in the history of the Cavaliers, but he also came back from a 3-1 deficit in the Finals against the Warriors, which marked the first time a team accomplished that.
Richard Jefferson, one of James’ teammates in 2016, joined ESPN’s The Jump where host Rachel Nichols asked him what would have happened in the case the Cavs didn’t win that title. She went further and asked if James would have left the Cavaliers for the Los Angeles Lakers two years ago if they didn’t win that title.
“I think for him (James) it was so, so important to win a championship in Cleveland,” Jefferson said. “He could still possibly be there.
“But I believe that, again, you look at the injuries in the first year with Kyrie [Irving] and Kevin Love, I believe that ultimately, wherever the dominoes would have fallen, I think Cleveland would have won a championship over the course of those four years (that James was playing for the Cavs).”
Today marks the anniversary of the 2016 Warriors' record setting 73rd win. What if that team had gone on to win the title? @RJeff24, who was on the Cavs team that won instead, and @WindhorstESPN discuss how the whole course of the NBA would have shifted. pic.twitter.com/b4ryedUgLF
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) April 13, 2020
He then said he wasn’t sure about anything, as everything can happen in the NBA, especially with LeBron.
“We’ll never know,” Jefferson added later.
James still fulfilled his promise, took the Cavs to the promised land, shocking the world by beating the 73-win Warriors, and now is trying to do something similar with the Los Angeles Lakers. Before the NBA season was suspended, Bron was leading the Purple and Gold to become the best team in the league en route to winning the 17th title in Lakers’ history.
