Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has made no decisions about his future beyond the 2025-26 season, but just in case Wednesday, January 28 was his last game in Cleveland, the Cavaliers made sure it was one he’d remember.
James, 41, broke down in tears during a first-quarter video tribute that the Cavs played for him on the jumbotron.
“I’m just trying to take everything in, not take the moments for granted,” James told the media after the game. “Because it could be [my last season]. I obviously haven’t made a decision on the future, but it very well could be.”
The tribute showed highlights from his legendary 48-point performance against the Detroit Pistons in Game 5 of the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals, which Cleveland won in double overtime. Then just 22 years old, James scored the Cavs’ final 25 points.
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The Cavaliers drafted James with the first overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft and he instantly turned the struggling franchise into NBA Finals contenders. After leaving for the Miami Heat in 2010, he returned to Cleveland in 2014 and led the Cavs to their only NBA Championship in 2016. James left the Cavaliers for the Lakers in 2018.
“I think it just comes from just being present,” James said of his emotional reaction. “I was just more present today than I’ve been [in past trips to Cleveland]. [It] definitely got to me a little bit, for sure.”
James is a native of Akron, Ohio, located just 40 miles from Cleveland. The opportunity for him to make his name in the pros for his hometown team has long been a point of pride for the future Hall of Famer.
James added that he wasn’t sure if this would be his final trip to Cleveland as a player.
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“Obviously, the question gets asked more and the thought creeps in my mind more at 41 years old of when the end is and where’s the finish line for us to hang this thing up,” he said. “But the drive is how much, like, juice I can squeeze out of this orange. … I’m in a battle with Father Time and I’m taking it personal, and I am going to see how many more times I [can] be victorious over him.”
His coach, JJ Redick, recognized how important the city is to James.
“I think there’s certainly emotions always for him coming back here,” he said after the Cavs’ 129-99 win. “You could see that being back here is very important to him. And you know, there’s a human element to all of this.”
James will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, and the Cavaliers would gladly welcome him back for one more year, according to a report from Dave McMenamin of ESPN Cleveland on Wednesday.
But even if James closes his career with the Cavaliers next season, don’t expect the team to make a big deal out of his “retirement tour.”
“I’ve had people close to him tell me that he’s not necessarily interested in a retirement tour because that could bring some negativity with it if, all of a sudden, his body doesn’t cooperate, he goes to a city, everybody buys tickets, and he is unable to play,” McMenamin, 43, explained.
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