A homegrown megastar who\u2019s considered one of two greatest players of all-time, it\u2019s obvious how much LeBron James\u2019 his roots still mean to him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He references being \u201cjust a kid from Akron\u201d whenever he accomplishes his biggest milestones, including winning his fourth championship with the Lakers and becoming the league\u2019s all-time leading scorer in 2023.\u00a0<\/p>\n
LeBron James looks on before a game against the Chicago Bulls. NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n
As speculation swirls regarding James and where he \u2018chooses\u2019 to play next season as his career nears an end, a reunion in Cleveland could be the storybook ending.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Built around All-NBA guard Donovan Mitchell and burgeoning star Evan Mobley, the Cavs have a roster talented enough to make the NBA Finals. Darius Garland is close to returning form injury, but was finding his rhtyhm on offense and Jarrett Allen continues to be one of the best rim defenders in the game.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a possibility LeBron James returns to Cleveland. AP<\/p>\n
James, an unrestricted free agent at the end of this year who\u2019s earning $52.6 million this season, would either have\u00a0to take a minimum deal, or the franchise would have to offload money, breaking up their core of Mitchell, Allen, Mobley and Garland, who won 64 games together last season en route to the No. 1 seed in the East.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Would James agree to a minimum deal? If not, should the Cavs consider dealing two of their stars and sacrificing their future for one year of potential greatness with him? If James was willing to accept a minimum deal, would his return be a distraction for an up-and-coming team?\u00a0<\/p>\n
While the financials can be ironed out, one wonders how Cavs Nation would feel about James returning for his swan song?<\/p>\n
But after two divorces \u2014 none worse than the first \u2014 would Cavs fans be willing to get married for a third time? Even if it was just for one year?<\/p>\n
Of the dozen fans The California Post spoke with at Rocket Arena before the Cavaliers hosted the Magic Monday night, it\u2019s clear there\u2019s a unanimous love and respect for James \u2014 but that\u2019s where the similar mindset ends.<\/p>\n
LeBron James goes up for a dunk against the Bulls. AP<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it would ruin whatever chemistry we have,\u201d fan Matt Hands said. \u201cIs it a distraction? Does it take away from what they\u2019re trying to build when he\u2019s not going to have more than a year left? Potentially.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hands, a 41-year-old professor at John Carroll University, said he\u2019d love to see James return for a one-day contract and technically\u00a0retire with the Cavs, but he wouldn\u2019t want him to play with the team for another season.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He\u2019s far from the only fan to feel this way.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kevin Smith, a 35-year-old who works as a capacity planner for Sysco, fears James wouldn\u2019t accept a minimum deal and the Cavs would have to breakup their team. \u00a0\u201cWe finally rebuilt from the last time he left,\u201d he said. \u201cDo we really want to mess that up just for a sweet farewell?\u201d<\/p>\n
LeBron James reacts to a call during a game against the Chicago Bulls. Getty Images<\/p>\n
Then there\u2019s Katie Swanson-Harbage, a 73-year-old who only cares about what\u2019s best for James, and she\u2019s guessing that wouldn\u2019t involve living in Ohio. \u201cWould you want to live in this snow or would you rather live in LA?\u201d she asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Meanwhile,\u00a0Brandon Baker, a 42-year-old who works in politics, believes James\u2019 return is inevitable.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m expecting it to happen,\u201d he said. \u201cWe know that LeBron is into storybook, fairytale narratives. That\u2019s what happened when he came back the first time [in 2014], so where else would he end his career but Cleveland?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
To some, it doesn\u2019t matter as long as James is back where he belongs next year.<\/p>\n
Shanice Cheatham, a 38-year-old medical student who was born in Akron, said James retiring in Cleveland would mean everything to her and her community.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters <\/p>\n
California Post News: Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, TikTok<\/a>, X<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, WhatsApp<\/a>, LinkedIn<\/a> \u201cFor Akron, LeBron is the kid that made it out of there,\u201d Cheatham said. \u201cAkron has its really rough spots and we didn\u2019t see much come out. To have somebody make it this far and be such a solid, well-rounded role-model, it\u2019s a dream for somebody from Akron. I just signed up for season tickets in hopes that he\u2019d come back. Literally, today.\u201d<\/p>\n That sentiment was echoed by Aidan Dance, a 26-year-old sales representative for a roofing company, who summarized his feelings in three words. \u201cThat\u2019s my hero.\u201d \u00a0Dance said his devotion to James is so deep that as a child he\u2019d cry whenever the Cavs lost. And as he has gotten older, he said his respect for James has only deepened after seeing what he has done for the community, his spotless reputation, and how he treats his wife and children.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s one of us,\u201d Dance said. \u201cEverything is centered around LeBron James. He\u2019s meant everything to this city. He\u2019s given this city hope when we didn\u2019t have any. Even our economy is better when LeBron James is here. He\u2019s literally everything to this city. If he came back, I\u2019d be a grown man crying again.\u201d<\/p>\n While the basketball world awaits for James\u2019 decision regarding his playing career, there\u2019s a chance it ends where it all started: Cleveland.\u00a0<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t
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