Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James played in what could be his final game in Cleveland on Wednesday night in a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. James was born in nearby Akron, Ohio and played 11 seasons for the Cavaliers, bringing the franchise its lone NBA Championship in 2016.
The city of Cleveland, and the Cavaliers franchise, will always be special to LeBron, as evidenced by him getting emotional during a video tribute played during the game. And while James currently lives in Los Angeles, he grew up in Ohio with his mother Gloria and has always praised her for everything she did for him.
Following his most recent appearance in Cleveland, LeBron did a little something special for his mother, gifting her his game jersey with a special message written, via Mason Horodyski of WEWS 5 News in Cleveland:
“To Mama James, Love you with all my heart & more. Thank you for everything and beyond YOU’RE INCREDIBLE ♥️ #TheRealMVP”#Lakers LeBron James’ message to his mother Gloria in the form of his jersey after his return to Cleveland tonight @WEWS pic.twitter.com/HCo9jdAt3E
— Mason Horodyski (@MasonHorodyski) January 29, 2026
LeBron is obviously thankful that he still gets to play basketball in front of his mother, but he also noted after the game at how special it is that his mom can watch both her son and grandson Bronny play together, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN:
“My mom gets to watch her son and her grandson play in the NBA at the same time,” said LeBron James, who presented his mom with his game-worn jersey at the end of the night. “I actually just started to think about how insane that is. Yeah, that’s awesome.”
It has to be special for any parent to watch their son perform in the NBA, but to be able to watch your grandson as well, play alongside your son is a different feeling altogether. And it’s something that only Gloria has experienced and, like LeBron said, that’s pretty awesome. But that has also been the case for many things throughout James’ career.
Lakers’ LeBron James hasn’t thought about retirement or farewell tour yet
It is still unclear whether this game against the Cavaliers was James’ final in Cleveland as the Lakers superstar could choose to retire after his 23rd NBA season. But LeBron revealed that he has yet to think about retirement or a farewell tour just yet, and won’t do so until he talks with his family about it.
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