LeBron James is an unrestricted free agent for the first time since 2018. NPR’s A Martinez speaks with Eben Novy-Williams, deputy editor with Sportico, about the superstar’s potential next move.
Transcript
A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
The NBA is waiting on LeBron James to decide where he’ll play for a record 24th season. The league’s commissioner says that until he does, the NBA schedule cannot be set. Eben Novy-Williams is a deputy editor with Sportico. So, Eben, one player – albeit LeBron, fine – but one player is holding up the NBA schedule. How can that be?
EBEN NOVY-WILLIAMS: Holding up the entire schedule, A, and holding up a whole bunch of other things. I think there are some players out there that are unsigned that are still waiting to see where this massive domino falls and teams waiting to see. I think there’s teams that are hosting – will host LeBron James potentially for the last time next season that would love to know where he’s going to be and whether this is going to be his last year. I mean, LeBron James has been the gravitational force of the NBA for 23 seasons. It’s, like, an incomprehensible amount of time. And this is probably the last time that his free agency is going to be a big deal. He knows it. The league knows it, and it seems like he’s going to milk it for everything it’s worth.
MARTÍNEZ: So what about fans and things like ticket sales? What are you hearing from fans about, like, this whole waiting game?
NOVY-WILLIAMS: Yeah. I think the biggest thing about the waiting game is whether this is LeBron’s last season. And we’re definitely close to that point. He has not said that it is. No matter where he signs, immediately, you’re going to see ticket brokers and opportunistic fans start gobbling up those last few games just in case this becomes a farewell tour. So that’s definitely part of it.
On the schedule, LeBron James’ team is going to play on Christmas.
MARTÍNEZ: Yeah.
NOVY-WILLIAMS: I guarantee it. But Adam Silver, as he said, doesn’t know what team that is. So there are definitely national TV windows, big regular season windows like Christmas, where, yeah, LeBron James’ team is going to slot in there. And they have to hold everything up until he makes and announces his decision.
MARTÍNEZ: Essentially, that’s what we’re waiting for, right? We’re going to find out where LeBron is going to spend Christmas.
NOVY-WILLIAMS: That’s exactly it. And if you look back at LeBron’s career, his few free agencies have been – he’s been very intentional about how and when he announces these things. In 2010, he had his own TV special – which was much decried and criticized afterwards – called “The Decision,” where he announced that he was leaving the Cavaliers to go to the Miami Heat. When he left the Miami Heat to go back to Cleveland, it was an SI cover in all black that said, I’m coming home. It was Instagram when he announced that he was going to the Lakers. I don’t know what he has planned for this one, but again, I imagine him and his team is looking to control the entire stack of the narrative, which not many NBA players can do successfully.
MARTÍNEZ: Isn’t it amazing? Forty-one years old. He’ll be 42 December 30, and yet, yeah, you’re right. The league revolves around the LeBron James.
NOVY-WILLIAMS: Yeah. And there’s a whole subset, a lot of NBA fans who knew – know nothing other than LeBron James being the face of the league. And you can be a 40-year-old NBA fan and still feel that way. So players – and there’s not many that play 23 professional years, certainly none at the level that he is playing. And over that time, you stack up a lot of social clout. You grow a lot of…
MARTÍNEZ: Yeah.
NOVY-WILLIAMS: …Fans, and everything starts to revolve around you, and that’s definitely true for LeBron.
MARTÍNEZ: One more thing. Do you think there’s a deadline for making an announcement? Does he have to – is there any date coming up?
NOVY-WILLIAMS: Look, I think a lot of people in and around the NBA want his answer quickly, and I don’t think that LeBron cares too much about what they want. Again, I think that he and his crew are looking at this as a rare opportunity to make this decision and…
MARTÍNEZ: Yeah.
NOVY-WILLIAMS: …Make it very publicly and have a lot of people pay attention. So I don’t think he’s on anyone’s timeline but his own.
MARTÍNEZ: One more to answer here. Where’s he winding up?
NOVY-WILLIAMS: I think back in Cleveland.
MARTÍNEZ: Back in Cleveland. That’s Eben Novy-Williams with Sportico. Thank you very much.
(SOUNDBITE OF RUN THE JEWELS SONG, “LEGEND HAS IT”)
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