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April 9, 2018In the end, billboards don’t matter. Reports speculating his potential decision don’t matter. Clickbait about his decision already being made don’t matter. All that matters to LeBron James is his family and winning, no matter what anyone else may say.
With just two regular season games remaining, the Cleveland Cavaliers are preparing themselves for the postseason and an opportunity to make their fourth consecutive NBA Finals appearance. With that said, one of the biggest questions surrounding the wine and gold has been and will be where LeBron James decides to sign this summer. Although the organization is focused on what happens on the court, the fans are too, but everyone has No. 23’s looming decision in the back of their mind as well. I mean, who wouldn’t when it has to do with a talent like James, right?
Although he has repeatedly shot down questions dealing with his looming decision and answered with the fact that he is an in-the-moment guy and hasn’t given much thought to a decision that will have to be made in early July, reporters have continued to ask him.1 Following Sunday’s shootaround, No. 23 admitted that when it comes time to make a decision about his future, only two things matter: His family and winning, according to cleveland.com’s Joe Vardon.
“My family. That’s all that matters,” James said. “I want to continue to win at the highest level, because I know I can still do it as an individual, and then my family. My family is what’s most important to me, more than anything.”
Where his family wants to live is a small piece of the puzzle, but it comes down to a joint decision between all of them as well, along with the success that his team can have on the hardwood. James wants to find the perfect combination of where he can be the most successful on the hardwood while his family is the happiest the five of them can be as well.
“That’s just a small piece of it,” No. 23 said. “We make joint decisions all together, all the time. Once we get to it, my agent and my team we will all tackle it the right way but my family plays a big part in it. And winning.”
With James and his wife, Savannah, both from Akron, that plays a major factor. Both of their families also live in northeast Ohio as well, along with all three of their kids growing up in Bath Township. Their oldest son, LeBron Jr., is currently in seventh grade, about 17 months away from being a high schooler. With James’ roots being with St. Vincent-St. Mary, that has to play a role in his future decision as well. Then again, maybe he wants his son to build his own legacy, rather than try to follow in his dad’s footsteps inside the Irish’s LeBron James Arena.
Although plenty of people have speculated that they know James’ decision when the calendar flips to July, keep in mind that the King may not even know yet, let alone anyone else.2 If he does know, James is smart enough to either keep the decision to himself or at least in his very small circle of family and friends. The last thing he would allow to happen is to let it leak out.
James has stated numerous times that he intends to finish his career in Cleveland even after fulfilling his goal of bringing a championship back to The Land, with him most recently stating that during training camp in September.
Somehow, in his 15th NBA season, the 33-year-old is arguably playing the best he ever has. If he keeps it up, he could help the Cavs make their fourth straight trip to the Finals and potentially bring Cleveland its second NBA championship in three years. Although all of that is important, James’ looming decision will always be in the back of everyone’s mind, even if it may not currently be in the back of his own mind.
With that said, enjoy the ride, don’t ever take No. 23 granted, and witness LeBron’s greatness as much as you can before it’s too late.3 Maybe, just maybe, Cavs fans will be celebrating again come mid-June because of No. 23 and the wine and gold come mid-June. At least we can all hope that, while having James’ looming decision in the back of all of our minds, right?
- I mean, who wouldn’t? It’s a very important decision and one that can immediately change the landscape of not only the Cavaliers, but the entire NBA. [↩]
- Getting those clicks is important though, obviously. [↩]
- Regrets are the worst. Don’t allow yourself to have regrets because you took James for granted, you guys. [↩]