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Rich Paul declared on his “Game Over” podcast that “nobody knows nothing” when it comes to LeBron James‘ impending NBA free agency decision, so there’s really no point in continuing to speculate.
But here we are anyway.
The Miami Heat caused a stir when a scheduled “LeBron James Introductory Press Conference” stream appeared on the team’s official YouTube channel late Tuesday night. The video is scheduled for July 27. It has since been taken down, but not before countless screenshots were taken.
“An explanation on the ‘LeBron James Introductory Press Conference’ video that has taken over X,” the Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang wrote. “It was a mistake by the Heat’s social media department while preparing for the possibility of LeBron picking the Heat. But there is no validity to it right now.”
Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald also chimed in: “For the conspiracy theorists out there asking ‘why July 27?!?’ Date on Heat video, as if the team knows his secret plans, keep in mind that James camp informed Heat he was coming just minutes before ESPN 2010 decision show and informed Lakers he was coming minutes before July 1, 2018 Klutch tweet announcing it. James has made sure his announcements haven’t been ruined by giving teams multi hour or multi day heads up.”
On “Game Over,” Paul, James’ longtime agent and friend, made it crystal clear that James will continue to take his time in deciding where to play his NBA-record 24th season, despite NBA commissioner Adam Silver applying some pressure by saying the league cannot make next season’s schedule until James chooses his next team.
“I saw Adam in New York, and we discussed it,” Paul said. “It’s still [James’] choice, so if he doesn’t really know, you can’t rush it. You can’t rush it.”
Paul added, “I’ll just say we’re not gonna be rushed, and it’s his choice to make, and when he makes the choice, he’s making it.”
Last week, James explained how his fourth time as a free agent is different than all the rest while sitting with Boardroom’s Rich Kleiman.
“For me now, I have an almost 22-year-old son who is now my former teammate, which is hilarious,” James said. “I have a 19-year-old son at the University of Arizona. But it’s my almost 12-year-old daughter who is pulling the weight a lot.”
“The family portion is a big thing, too,” James added. “My daughter and my wife, things of that nature, and I’m a big family guy. People are like, ‘Hurry up and make a goddamn decision, Bron.’ It’s like, OK, it’s not just about the team.”
James, 41, began his all-time great NBA career as the No. 1 overall pick of his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003 and won his first two NBA MVP awards in 2009 and 2010. He joined the Heat in July 2010, forming the “Big 3” or “Heatles” with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, and was the back-to-back NBA MVP as the Heat won back-to-back NBA titles in 2012 and 2013.
James returned home to Cleveland in July 2014 and led the Cavaliers to four straight NBA Finals appearances from 2014 to 2018, winning the franchise’s first championship in 2016. His third free agency go-round landed him with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018, where he spent the past eight seasons. He won his fourth ring with the Lakers in 2020.
The Cavaliers, Heat, Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Philadelphia 76ers have been consistently reported as the pool of teams from which James is picking.
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