LeBron James said his free agency decision came down to five teams and revealed that a sixth had been his intention until it won a championship in June.
Which teams were finalists?
Philadelphia, Cleveland, Golden State, Miami and Minnesota. He confirmed the list at the 76ers’ media day on Monday, his first extended comments since signing in Philadelphia.
What happened with the Knicks?
He had planned to go there. LeBron James described having visions of playing at Madison Square Garden and finishing his career there, calling it among the best places he has played and the top arena in the world from a player’s perspective. Then New York beat San Antonio for the title, and he said he could not do it.
Why did the championship change it?
Reception, by his own reasoning. He said the reaction to a player of his standing joining a team immediately after it won a championship would have been unmanageable, pointing directly at how the media would have framed it. He praised the Knicks roster and Jalen Brunson specifically, and said he is content with where he ended up.
Is that reasoning familiar?
It should be. LeBron James has spent 16 years carrying the criticism generated by his 2010 move to Miami, which joined a team already holding significant talent. The charge that he assembles favourable situations rather than building them has followed him since, and a decision to join a reigning champion would have revived it at the end of his career rather than the middle. Whatever one makes of the criticism, his assessment of how it would have landed is almost certainly correct.
What is the recent history between these teams?
New York swept Philadelphia in the second round in May, winning by an average of 22.3 points. That is not a close series, and it forms part of the backdrop to a player joining the losing side.
When does he return to the Garden?
Twice in the regular season, on opening night on Oct. 20 and again on Feb. 27, with more possible if the two teams meet in the postseason. Opening night in New York, against the champions, with a player who considered joining them, is about as well arranged a first game as the schedule could produce.
Where will he live?
Both cities. LeBron James said he will maintain multiple residences and split time between New York and Philadelphia, which is roughly a 90 minute journey and unremarkable logistically for a player at his income level.
What does this add?
Context the Lakers side could not supply. The franchise he left described the separation as amicable and offered no explanation of his reasoning. This is the first account from the player, and while it addresses the Knicks rather than Los Angeles directly, it establishes that the decision involved a genuine field rather than a single destination.
