LeBron James and his 2016 Cavaliers teammates are older now but one thing hasn’t changed

LeBron James and his Cleveland Cavaliers teammates looked very different the last time they were all competing together. They were younger, surrounded by thousands of fans and carrying the pressure of trying to accomplish something Cleveland had waited decades to experience.

Ten years later, several members of that unforgettable 2016 team got together again. They’re older, their careers and lives have gone in different directions, and some have already left professional basketball behind. But it didn’t take long for something familiar to emerge.

LeBron James watches Kevin Love lose his cool after brutal golf shot at Cavaliers reunion

This time, LeBron, Kevin Love, J.R. Smith, Tristan Thompson, Richard Jefferson, Channing Frye and other members of the championship group traded basketballs for golf clubs as part of a reunion celebrating the 10th anniversary of their NBA title.

LeBron James and the Cavaliers find another way to compete

Without the pressure of an NBA game, the former teammates could simply enjoy being around each other. They played golf, competed, joked around and celebrated good shots while some of the bad ones brought out a little of the frustration that comes naturally when former professional athletes start keeping score.

It was a much different scene from June 2016, when the same core was trying to complete one of the greatest comebacks in NBA history. Cleveland recovered from a 3-1 deficit against the 73-win Golden State Warriors and won Game 7 on the road to capture the franchise’s first NBA championship.

The players had an opportunity to spend time with people who shared one of the defining experiences of their careers this time without having to worry about practice, the next opponent or another championship run.

Ten years have changed plenty. They look older, basketball no longer brings them together every day and the stakes on a golf course couldn’t be further from Game 7 of the NBA Finals. But watching them laugh and compete again showed that part of what connected the 2016 Cavaliers never really disappeared.