It was not an easy decision for NBA superstar LeBron James this summer. After spending the last eight years in Los Angeles, he knew the time had come to pursue a different path. What he didn’t know was which team he would join next.
So, as LeBron weighed his options, players began making both public and private appeals. Today, we know that James would ultimately choose the 76ers, but it wasn’t always so clear where he would go. In fact, during the latest episode of the ‘Game Over’ podcast, it was revealed by Shams Charania that James had a secret, unreported meeting with Cavaliers executives in early July. It was a step not taken with any other teams and suggests James was more serious than we thought about returning to Cleveland.
“The Cavs front office group: Koby Altman, Brandon Weems, the Gilbert family had a meeting with LeBron in Akron, in early July. I couldn’t say [how I know],” reported Shams Charania on the ‘Game Over’ podcast.
The only thing more surprising than this private, exclusive meeting is that it somehow stayed a secret until LeBron’s decision. His agent, Rich Paul, had no idea that Shams even knew about it, and that was by design. According to the insider, Shams felt it would have been inappropriate to report a meeting that was meant to be private and unofficial. Had it leaked at the time, it likely would have swung betting odds and set fan expectations.
“In real time, the integrity aspect matters more than anything,” Shams added. “Because this was information that was off the record. It wasn’t something I could report. For me, responsibility is important, ethically doing the job the right way. My job is to tell the truth, but if it’s off the record, it’s not reportable.”
LeBron doesn’t have the best history with Dan Gilbert, and he doesn’t respect Koby Altman the same way he does 76ers executive Bob Myers. Even still, it didn’t stop him from having an open and honest conversation with them this summer, albeit completely off the books.
Shams had no way to confirm the legitimacy of this meeting until now, but it puts LeBron’s offseason in a whole new perspective. In the first few weeks of free agency, James was spending a lot of time in his hometown of Akron, spending time with family and friends while the world speculated on his next move. Nobody realized that James also took the opportunity to gather intel on the Cavaliers’ situation by sitting down with the very guys running the team.
We don’t know what was said in the meeting, but it was not enough to convince LeBron. At this stage of his career, he’s all about winning in a competitive environment, and he felt like he could do that in Philadelphia. Since trading Darius Garland for James Harden, LeBron hasn’t been as high on the Cavs, and that’s not to mention their history of collapse in the playoffs.
In the end, Cleveland had their chance for an epic reunion, but they couldn’t sway LeBron’s decision. After 11 years of greatness, LeBron did not want to risk tainting his legacy unless he was certain they were primed for success.
