Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James makes the NBA world go round, so when he shows up at a playoff game involving the Cleveland Cavaliers, it's big news.
Now, if James had shown up at, say, the Dallas Mavericks game, it would still be news. But not nearly as big as the Cavs — given how he is from nearby Akron and has played for the organization twice. That includes leading the Cavs to four straight Finals appearances (and five overall), and the 2016 championship.
So, yeah, some people wondered why James would attend a Cavs game. Interestingly, he can opt out of his contract this summer and become a free agent. Word is, that is precisely what he will do. Word is, he will also return to the Lakers on a new deal.
But this is LeBron we're talking about and he just loves throwing a wrench into the NBA narrative, sending small signals and messages that the rest of us are left to try to decode. And guess what? We absolutely love it every time.
Anyway, at least super-agent Rich Paul, who represents James, told the Lakers that his superstar client planned to attend the Cavs game before it happened, according to NBA insider Brian Windhorst of ESPN. For the record, Paul was at the game with James, as was James' wife Savannah.
Needless to say, the Cavs greeted James with a great deal of appreciation. He may be 39 years old, but he would be just what the basketball doctor ordered to help their pretty good team. James would make any good team really really good, even today.
But there's no reason for James to leave Los Angeles, really. He would have to bring his entire family back to Akron, and while he will indeed do that at some point (we think), there's no need to at the moment. The fact his agent told the Lakers he was attending the Cavs game makes you think that was one way of giving the Lakers the assurance they needed.
