{"id":4651,"date":"2026-07-01T14:06:43","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T14:06:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=4651"},"modified":"2026-07-01T14:06:43","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T14:06:43","slug":"lebron-james-has-governors-the-nhl-and-the-nfl-waiting-for-his-free-agency-decision","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=4651","title":{"rendered":"LeBron James has governors, the NHL and the NFL waiting for his free agency decision"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

MIAMI (AP) \u2014 Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz made his sales pitch. So did DJ Khaled, the New York Jets and the Winnipeg Jets. Even the PGA Tour took a swing, trying to appeal to someone who has quickly become obsessed with golf.<\/p>\n

Read more Kawhi Leonard going back to Toronto after Raptors make deal with Clippers, AP source says<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re waiting for you Bron,\u201d the tour posted on social media.<\/p>\n

Get in line. Every team and every league, it would seem, wants LeBron James.<\/p>\n

The waiting-for-LeBron game is on, with the entire basketball universe \u2014 and, evidently, the political, entertainment, football, hockey and golf universes as well \u2014 waiting to hear what the greatest scorer in NBA history will decide about the 2026-27 season. All that is known so far are two things: He isn\u2019t retiring yet, and he won\u2019t be playing for the Los Angeles Lakers.<\/p>\n

James let the world know on Tuesday that he\u2019s coming back for at least one more season and that he\u2019s decided to move on from the Lakers, those decisions becoming known a few hours before the start of free agency. What happens next, and when it will happen, is anyone\u2019s guess. The oldest active player in the NBA is still a guy who moves the needle, and it\u2019s not even clear if he knows how long this process will take.<\/p>\n

\u201cLeBron James, come on, let\u2019s do it again,\u201d DJ Khaled, a regular courtside patron at Miami Heat games, said in a video posting in an effort to recruit James back to the place where he won his first two NBA titles. \u201cCome on, man. Let\u2019s do it again. After the game, we\u2019ll go play golf. You know Miami\u2019s the best city in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

A person familiar with James\u2019 planning told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he wanted his agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, to take meetings with interested teams \u2014 actual NBA ones, which means it doesn\u2019t look good for other online suitors such as the Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers and soccer\u2019s Minnesota United \u2014 before reporting back.<\/p>\n

For the most part, James and Paul went into this process knowing much of what the teams would say. Cleveland\u2019s pitch would be that Northeast Ohio is home, that his career started there and that it would make sense to end it there. Miami\u2019s pitch would be that he won two titles there, that it\u2019s known he loves the city, that it just landed Giannis Antetokounmpo and James still has deep ties to coach Erik Spoelstra and the front office. Golden State\u2019s pitch would include playing with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, two guys who click with James on multiple levels.<\/p>\n

Read more Fire in Belgian apartment block leaves at least 5 people dead, many injured<\/a><\/p>\n

Walz wanted James to see a newspaper clip touting that Minnesota has the best quality of life when compared to other states. The New York Jets pointed out that James wore green and white in high school, matching their color scheme. The Winnipeg Jets simply offered to change their name to LeWinnipeg Jets.<\/p>\n

\u201cNever say never,\u201d the Bills posted.<\/p>\n

Jokes aside, James is obviously worth all the effort that some team will make to get him signed.<\/p>\n

He still plays at an All-Star level, even at his age \u2014 there have been 24 instances, including playoffs, of someone in his 40s scoring 30 or more points in an NBA game, and James is responsible for 17 of those. No player had averaged more than 15 points per game in a season after turning 40; James averaged 24.4 points in 2024-25 and 20.9 points this past season, even while often being the Lakers\u2019 third option.<\/p>\n

Plus, James\u2019 next home will see an immediate rush of activity.<\/p>\n

Season ticket packages, if any are available, will get gobbled up quickly. James\u2019 Lakers jersey was the fifth-hottest seller in the league at the end of this past regular season, based on sales from NBAStore.com, Fanatics.com and Fanatics partner sites; his next jersey (even if it is a Cavs or Heat jersey again) will fly off the racks as soon as they can be printed. And it\u2019ll probably make fans in that city, whichever city it is, truly believe they have a real shot at the 2027 NBA title.<\/p>\n

Read more Serena Williams tweaked her knee during Wimbledon return at age 44, agent says<\/a><\/p>\n

Only James knows when the waiting game will end.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

AP NBA: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/NBA<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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