LeBron James‘ return to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night was a particularly emotional one. With the Cavaliers presenting a tribute video in honor of the superstar, James was visibly moved by the gesture.
During his post-game media availability, LeBron James couldn’t help but reminisce about his career since leaving the Cavaliers in 2018. While contemplating the amount of time that has passed since, James was certain that he would not have been playing this long.
“If you want me to be completely honest with you, 8 years ago, when I left to go to L.A., if you would have asked, would I still be playing in 2026, I would have said no,” James stated. “After going to 8 straight finals and with all the energy and all the mental toll and the physical toll that it took on me and obviously my teammates, from Miami and from here [Cleveland]… there’s no way I could have foreseen that.”
“Couple more years, yeah. I’ll go out and play at a high level for a couple more years. But eight years? No,” he reiterated.
To put things into perspective, it has been almost 10 years since LeBron James and the Cavaliers made their historic comeback from 3-1 down in the NBA Finals to beat the Golden State Warriors.
While ruminating on this, James shared his experience of seeing his former teammate Richard Jefferson, who now works as an analyst for ESPN.
“I looked at some of our assistant coaches on the bench, and I was like, it’s kinda crazy that I’m watching my teammate that I won a championship with 10 years ago, and now he’s an analyst, and I’m still playing.”
James noted that the 2016 championship squad still had an active group chat and that a 10-year reunion was in the works. While heartwarming, it only sheds light on James’ impressive longevity.
At 41, LeBron James continues to defy the norm by performing at a high level. With averages of 22.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 6.7 assists per game, the 21-time All-Star remains one of the Lakers‘ best players.
Although the team suffered a crushing loss at the hands of the Cavaliers, featuring an underwhelming display from James, the Lakers’ superstar was sure to give props to the young Cavs team while speaking to the media. After fielding a question about the resemblance between the current Cavaliers unit and his championship squad, however, he responded:
“It’s hard for me to comment on it, honestly. They’re a very talented team, obviously… The resemblance with us is a totally different game as well. What we were able to accomplish in 2016, or even just 2014-15 all the way through to 2017-18, we were a really good team; a great team… Definitely not in the comparison level of my career. I think it’s a disservice to everybody included.”
As competitive and talented as the current Cavaliers’ teams have been, their results pale in comparison to LeBron James’ teams. Considering that James ended Cleveland’s 52-year-long trophy drought, his legacy is beyond reproach. In light of this, Jaylon Tyson’s remark after the game seems quite distasteful, though he apologized for it afterward.
After 23 years in the NBA, the end appears to be drawing near for LeBron James. While speculation has arisen about his future in the league, doubts about his position with the Lakers after the trade deadline may be more pressing for the Purple and Gold.
