LeBron James’ move to the Philadelphia 76ers may have looked straightforward on the surface, but the veteran star has now made it clear there was another path very much on the table. After Philadelphia’s 114-106 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night, James said a return to Cleveland was genuinely under consideration this past offseason.
Asked about reports that he met with Cleveland’s front office in July before choosing Philadelphia, James didn’t dodge the question.
“The nature of the meeting, I probably won't discuss much, but it was in consideration for sure,” James told reporters.
He added that Cleveland’s championship push was part of what made the Cavaliers appealing as he thought through the final stretch of his career.
“It was just a team that's trying to build towards a championship,” James said while discussing the meeting.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that James met in Akron, Ohio, with Cavaliers president Koby Altman, general manager Brandon Weems and members of the Gilbert ownership family. Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson later confirmed that the Cavaliers were among the teams trying to land him.
James ultimately went in a different direction, signing a two-year, $8 million deal with Philadelphia that includes a player option.
The idea of a Cavaliers reunion would have carried major weight given James’ history with the franchise. He entered the league with Cleveland as the No. 1 pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, then returned in 2014 after four seasons with the Miami Heat and led the Cavaliers to their first NBA title in 2016.
Now he’s trying to bring that same kind of finish to Philadelphia.
His first home game with the 76ers came against the Cavaliers and turned into a night he won’t forget anytime soon. Philadelphia stormed back from a 29-point hole to beat Cleveland, marking the largest comeback win of James’ career.
James is now focused on helping the Sixers chase their first championship since 1983, but his comments made one thing plain: Cleveland was not some throwaway option. For a moment this offseason, a final homecoming was real enough to matter.
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