The free agency decision of LeBron James was going to be the talk of the summer regardless of where he decided to play. Right up until the time it was announced that he was going to sign with the Lakers, there was still a possibility he could go to Philadelphia, or even wind up staying in Cleveland for another year. Once it was revealed he was taking his talents to Los Angeles, it became pretty clear that was his planned destination all along. Still, it wasn’t a lock it would happen until James met with Magic Johnson as free agency began.
As Lee Jenkins pointed out in his incredible piece about James’ decision, there were only four teams from the start that had any shot. Those teams were the Rockets, Cavs, Sixers and Lakers. James had his agent, Rich Paul, find out everything there was to know about the four teams moving forward. James then left for vacation with his family.
By the time James returned on Saturday afternoon, the Rockets no longer were part of the decision process. Jenkins stated that James spent most of the day meeting with Paul and planning to communicate with the Lakers, Sixers and Cavs but it already seemed as if he made up his mind. He then spoke with Kobe Bryant over the phone and had a late night meeting at his home with Magic Johnson as free agency began at 12:01am on July 1st.
As per Ramona Shelburne, while it’s likely by that point James knew he was going to join the Lakers, he wanted to meet with Magic in person and feel a sense of trust between them. No longer was it the time for Magic to try and sell James on why he should be there. Instead, it was about forming a bond, being on the same page and feeling excited about their partnership. Shelburne also added that prior to the meeting, the Lakers felt a need to land either Paul George or Kawhi Leonard before signing LeBron, with the hopes that would make the decision all the more easier. When James and Johnson met, James told him that he had no issue being the first big name to arrive and be the foundation to build something new. The relationship between the two men didn’t the Lakers chances either, as people around LeBron saw his excitement about the aspect of working with Johnson.
After the meeting ended, as Saturday night gave way to Sunday morning and afternoon, James was preparing to leave for another vacation, this time just him and wife Savannah. After taking off for Europe, he called Paul and simply said “Call the Lakers”. Paul did just that, then called the Cavs to let them know the decision had been made. The final step was sending out a simple press release via twitter to make it official.
The Lakers have an incredible legacy, which is not something lost on James. Winning even just one championship with them could send his personal legacy to even new heights. It won’t be easy, especially with teams like the Warriors and Rockets lurking but at this stage of his career, James is only concerned with what he can do to add more rings to the collection and clearly he felt that Los Angeles was the best place for him to try and do so.
Written by @IamJoeSports
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