Following LeBron James' final matchup against Dwyane Wade at Staples Center on Monday night, the two longtime greats (and former teammates) met for a postgame conversation that was captured by hoards of media. LeBron stirred the pot a bit when he was overheard telling Wade "it was either here or the Garden," in reference to the venue for their final showdown.
Understandably, many people took that comment to suggest that James was considering signing with the New York Knicks as a free agent this offseason before ultimately deciding on the Lakers. If he had, the final meeting between Wade and LeBron may have taken place on the Knicks' home court at Madison Square Garden.
Given New York's huge market and the branding opportunities that come with, plus the Knicks' need for more star players to help turn around their extended period of ineptitude, it's been long-rumored that James might consider the team as a potential free-agent destination.
But LeBron later clarified his comment on Monday, saying it was more about the prestige of the historic venue than about his interest in signing with the Knicks.
LeBron James said in reference to his "here or the Garden" comment that no other venue could have held this final duel between LeBron and Wade other than those two venues. (Not that he was thinking of signing with the #Knicks)
— Michael J. Duarte (@michaeljduarte) December 11, 2018
It's certainly hard to argue against the allure of MSG, which has been branded as "The World's Most Famous Arena," and LeBron has praised the building's mystique and atmosphere plenty of times in the past. Wade, who plans on retiring at the end of the year, has echoed similar sentiments about the Garden.
So while plenty of Knicks fans might've felt a brutal gut punch on Monday night while believing that they were tantalizingly close to landing LeBron this summer, it turns out he may not have even considered them very much at all. So ... feel better, I guess?
