To the frustration of many, LeBron James didn’t announce where he was going to play next season at his live recording of the Mind the Game podcast at Fanatics Fest on Thursday afternoon. James did, however, mention in a separate interview with Rich Kleiman that he is inching closer to a decision.
“I won’t hold you guys up too much longer,” James said on Thursday.
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More importantly, James detailed the factors that would influence his decision about where to play next. What’s best for his family, especially his 12-year-old daughter, Zhuri, will play a crucial role in what he decides to do.
James detailed that he pulled his daughter aside to tell her that he wouldn’t be playing for the Los Angeles Lakers next season. And because of that, he wouldn’t be home all the time, and wanted her input on the situation as an example of how much the family fit matters.
“The family portion is a big thing too,” James said. “My daughter, my wife, things of that nature. I’m a big family guy. So it’s a lot of things [that factor into this]. People are like, ‘Hurry up and make a goddamn decision Bron.’ It’s not just about the team.
“[There’s] so many other factors that I’m factoring in right now. Not only what best fits me as a player, but what fits me as a person, my happiness, and also my family as well. … The family portion of it is huge to me.”
It’s easy to see these comments and read this as meaning LeBron is going to come back to Cleveland. He still has plenty of ties to this area, and it’s a place his family has a lot of familiarity with. From that perspective, it seems like this is just setting up for a final reunion in Cleveland.
However, LeBron also seemed to indicate that the family may not be going with him to his next destination. If Los Angeles is still the home base, places like Cleveland, Miami, and Philadelphia aren’t exactly close by. Maybe the Golden State Warriors are more appealing in that situation — even though it seems like they’re currently behind the Cavs in that race.
We’ll see how this all unfolds soon enough. If we trust LeBron at his word, we hopefully won’t have to wait “too much longer” to find out where he’s planning on playing next season.
