LeBron James’ sixth season with the Los Angeles Lakers didn’t end how he had hoped with the team being bounced in the first round of the playoffs by the Denver Nuggets.
After a second straight postseason defeat at the hands of the defending champs, James was not yet ready to speak about his future. He has a player option for the 2024-25 season that he is likely to decline, either to test free agency or return to the Lakers on a two or three-year contract.
In the meantime, James is enjoying his offseason that came earlier than expected. He most recently was back in his old stomping grounds, sitting courtside at the Cleveland Cavaliers’ second round playoff game against the Boston Celtics. He received a tribute video and a big standing ovation from the Cleveland fans while back in the building that he has played so many iconic games in, via NBA on TNT:
All love for the King in Cleveland ? https://t.co/tdwIbO0TFo pic.twitter.com/l0N4kvekAT
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 13, 2024
King James is in the building for Cavs-Celtics ? pic.twitter.com/veFhLCsRtG
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 13, 2024
While the most likely outcome is still James returning to the Lakers this offseason, he seems to be using his contract situation as leverage against the Lakers front office. With an ongoing coaching search and the ability to improve the roster this offseason with three first round picks at their disposal, James is expected to see which direction the Lakers go before deciding on his future.
It’s of course possible that LeBron and his wife Savannah just happened to be in Cleveland on Monday night and wanted to check out the game. But with a return home for a third stint with the Cavaliers always a possibility, James attending Game 4 could have also been his latest leverage play aimed at Rob Pelinka and the Lakers brass.
LeBron James details offseason plan with Olympics upcoming
After playing 21 seasons in the NBA, LeBron James obviously has his offseason routine down at this point. For the first time in 12 years though, James is getting ready to play for Team USA in the 2024 Paris Olympics so he detailed how that will change his offseason plans.
“Obviously it’s going to be a little different,” James recently said. “For me, probably over the last four to five years, I’ve kind of after the season try to give my body at least two months of like, no basketball. I’m still doing the yogas and the pilates and walking around, still being active and stretching and all that type of shit. But as far as (basketball), I’ve tried to give my body like two months of just, I don’t want to be on the basketball court at all, actually like training. But it’s challenging now because it’s May 1 and in two months, training camp actually starts in Vegas and I don’t want to go into training camp doing nothing on the court for two months. So I’m going to kind of switch it up a little bit, I’m not going to be going crazy with my training, whatever the case may be.
“I’ll probably take the month of May off, give my body an opportunity to rest and then probably around the first or second week of June, I’ll start to get back into the game a little bit, start getting some routine shots up, getting a feel for the ball. Now I got the FIBA ball I got to work with too, so that’s a little different. But just getting my body re-acclimated to just some of the movements that you just never do in a regular day-to-day basis as far as when you’re doing workouts. So, yeah, I’ll switch it up a little bit.”
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