For at least the past week or so, the entire NBA community had Thursday circled as a key date in the ongoing free agency saga of LeBron James. With reports indicating that he had all of the information he needed to make up his mind and multiple media appearances lined up at Fanatics Fest in New York City, the stage seemed perfectly set for a major announcement on his future. Tyrese Haliburton, serving as the guest co-host for James' "Mind the Game" podcast, asked the question on everyone's mind early in the podcast.
And James gave no answer. "We just talked about this in the back," he joked to Haliburton, who agreed to leave the subject alone from there. So if James didn't make his decision on Thursday, what did we learn from his media appearances? Let's dig into that below, as well as the other James rumors of note from Thursday.
James and the Los Angeles Lakers officially parted ways on June 30. In the two-plus weeks since, the NBA has seen a flurry of transactions and free-agency decisions. When will James reveal his destination? He hinted Thursday that the saga won't drag out much longer.
"I won't hold you guys up for too much longer," James said, noting that he has to weigh not only the basketball circumstances of his next team, but the personal ones as well.
Haliburton attempted to recruit James to his Indiana Pacers. That recruitment began with a text message and ended with a response of two laughing emojis. James gave no real indication of which team he is leaning toward, and even played with the crowd a bit, asking them for suggestions.
"I heard Warriors… Philly… Miami… Someone said come to the Yankees," he joked.
No matter where he lands, James is confident in what he can bring to his next team.
"Wherever I go, I will make my staple on just, I'm a natural-born leader," James said. "I'm going to try to fit in to whatever team I'm going into. But also, give them all the tools and all the knowledge I've been able to grasp over the last 23 years."
James, 41, is entering his 24th NBA season. On Thursday, he did not commit to this being the final season of his career.
"It's a big decision for not only myself but for my family as well. For where I want to spend the last part of my career. The last year or the last two years of my NBA career," he said.
James has already played an NBA-record 23 seasons. If he plays two more, he will have played 25 in total.
James is heavily weighing the implications of his decision for his family, noting that he has a "22-year-old son (Bronny) who is now a former teammate." His other son, Bryce, is playing at the University of Arizona, while his daughter, Zhuri, is 11 and still lives at home.
James explained that he told her he would not be playing for the Lakers next season, which meant he would not be home as often, and the fit for his family will play a role in the decision he's about to make.
"People are like, 'hurry up and make a damn decision, LeBron.' It's not just about the team," James said. "There's so many other factors that I'm factoring in right now: what best fits me as a player, what best fits me as a person, what best fits me and my happiness and also my family as well. I won't hold you guys up too much longer, but the family portion is huge for me."
James expanded on his breakup with the Lakers for the first time since June 30, when it was revealed that he would indeed be ending his eight-year tenure in purple and gold.
"Shoutout my former team, I spent eight great years with the Los Angeles Lakers," James said. "One of the most historical franchises in the world. Shoutout Jeanie Buss, the whole Buss family. Rob Pelinka. Everybody. All the coaches that I played for there. All my teammates. S---, I am going to miss them all, obviously. So, that was an unbelievable ride and I'm just looking forward to what holds next as I wind down the final stages of my journey."
James was asked about his favorite teams he ever played on, but no real hints emerged from his answers: his championship teams with the Lakers, Cavaliers and Heat, plus the 2008 Redeem Team at the Olympics.
While James said little as far as what his future holds, the rumor mill never stops moving, and Thursday included quite a bit from other sources when it comes to his future:
While James may not have said much on Thursday, Pat Riley gave fans a fun hint at his hope for LeBron's future while leading Giannis Antetokounmpo's introductory press conference Thursday. "We landed the plane," Riley said about Giannis. "There's another one we have to land," he said, seemingly nodding towards the team's pursuit of James.
While most of the focus on LeBron's free agency has centered around basketball fits, he is also juggling his responsibilities to his family as well. While his son Bronny currently plays for the Lakers and the younger Bryce is at the University of Arizona, his daughter Zhuri is still only 12 years old and living at home. James explained below the conversation he had with her in which he detailed his decision to leave the Lakers and how his family will factor into what comes next.
As of right now, it seems as though the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers and Philadelphia 76ers lead the pack in the race for James. The Golden State Warriors, once viewed among the favorites, would "need a little bit of work still" on the roster right now to convince James they are capable of competing for a championship, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.
That brings us back to one of the most persistent rumors of the offseason: Anthony Davis to Golden State. The Washington Wizards have seemingly rebuffed all overtures for Davis, whom they acquired at the trade deadline in February. Is that posturing in order to extract better value out of Golden State, or is it really how the Wizards feel? We'll find out as the offseason progresses.
James has concluded his recording of Mind The Game at Fanatics Fest Thursday, and he announced no decision about his future in the NBA. However, he is slated to appear on a CNBC panel at 3 p.m. before his public appearances for the day wrap up.
Toward the end of the podcast, James took a few questions from the crowd, including one from an 11-year-old fan named Eli.
Eli asked James how he feels about being a free agent, what he wants to do with his next team and how he hopes to help that team develop. That led James to speak about his thought process in some detail, though he did misspeak and say it's his third time in free agency (it's his fourth).
"It's a big decision. It's the third time in my career that I've been a free agent. It's a big decision for not only myself, but for my family as well for the last part of my career and where I want to spend the last few years or the last year or last two years of my NBA career," James said.
"Wherever I go, I will make my staple on -- I'm a natural-born leader. I'm going to try to fit in to whatever team I'm going into, but also give them all the tools and all the knowledge I've been able to grasp over the last 23 years. I know the game. I know the ins and outs of the game of basketball. Wherever I land, I hope that you support me and that I can continue to inspire you."
Tyrese Haliburton just revealed that he tried to recruit James to join him with the Indiana Pacers. James responded with two laughing crying emojis. That put an end to Haliburton's recruiting efforts.
Who's ready to read some tea leaves, folks? James is messing with the crowd a bit when it comes to his free agency asking for their suggestions. "I heard Warriors… Philly… Miami… Someone said come to the Yankees," he joked. Should we read into the non-mentions of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Minnesota Timberwolves, the two other teams seemingly in the mix here? Probably not, but more than two weeks into free agency with very little substantive information, it's not as though we have much more to go on.
James on his last team: "Shout out my former team. I spent eight great years with the Los Angeles Lakers … That was an unbelievable ride and I am looking forward to what comes next as I wind down my journey."
James on his next team: "It's going to be fun wherever I land."
Early in Thursday's show, Tyrese Haliburton attempted to ask LeBron about his free agency decision. James wouldn't take the bait. "We just talked about this in the back," he said. Haliburton agreed to "leave it alone" from there. The two moved on to talk about New York's championship run. For now, it doesn't seem like we're getting a decision today.
LeBron James has arrived on stage at Fanatics Fest in New York City. He is recording a live episode of his "Mind the Game" podcast with Tyrese Haliburton as a guest.
LeBron is doing the Mind the Game podcast at 1:15 p.m. ET. He also is set to appear sometime after 3 p.m. on the CNBC x Boardroom Game Plan event in NYC. LeBron will be interviewed by Rich Kleiman.
Five teams seem to still be in the running for LeBron James: the Cavaliers, Heat, Warriors, 76ers and Timberwolves. That means four of them will not have LeBron next season. So what's Plan B if they miss out?
LeBron to the Warriors? It can still happen. And Steve Kerr got the hopes up of a few Golden State fans on Wednesday. The Warriors coach was in his car in Las Vegas while attending Summer League when he rolled down his window to address some fans. One asked about LeBron, and Kerr responded, "Oh, we got him." Naturally, the clip went viral.
Kerr was saying this in jest, per The Athletic. Here's more from the report:
"To several Warriors officials, who verified that it was indeed Kerr in the video shot Tuesday and not an AI fake, the veteran coach was just doing what he has always done, using his humor to answer a question from a fan that the Warriors, and the rest of the NBA, still don't have an answer for themselves. The Warriors remain hopeful that James may eventually choose to play for them, but in this particular instance, Kerr was just using his same quick-witted humor for this viral exchange."
So announcing on his podcast today would be the most straightforward way to make his next team announcement. But it's far from his only option. CBS Sports' Robby Kalland lays out five more ways LeBron could let the NBA world know of his decision:
LeBron James will be making his first public appearance during his free agency on Thursday, hosting his "Mind the Game" podcast at Fanatics Fest in New York City. Tyrese Haliburton will be co-hosting the show (which normally James does alongside Steve Nash).
It remains to be seen if LeBron will make an announcement before or during the show and explain it on the podcast, or if he'll just use the episode to address his free agency and say he's still making up his mind.
