Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James is still the biggest star the city of Cleveland has ever seen. The Akron native loves his home area and brought the city its first and only championship in any sport. But in recent years, arguably the most popular and best athlete playing for any Cleveland sports team is Cleveland Browns star defensive end Myles Garrett.
Garrett has been an absolute beast for the Browns since being taken first overall in the 2017 NFL Draft. He was the 2023 NFL Defensive Player of the Year and is a four-time First Team All-Pro selection and six-time Pro Bowler. But after just two playoff appearances in eight seasons, Garrett recently requested a trade from the Browns.
But prior to making that request, Garrett actually spoke with LeBron to get some advice. In an appearance on the Rich Eisen Show, Garrett revealed that he asked the Lakers star about what his thought process was before deciding to leave the place he calls home:
“What a transition looked like for him,” he said of what he discussed with James . “What was his thought process going into it before he left Cleveland? Just making sure I made a logical decision, taking my time. Just trying to take away the pressure of doing something like that. Cleveland, really that area, northeast Ohio, has been his home. It feels like my home, as well.”
No one knows how it feels to leave the city of Cleveland quite like James, who infamously held ‘The Decision’ television special in 2010 in which he announced his intentions to leave the Cavaliers and join the Miami Heat. Things were handled much better the second time around when LeBron would sign with the Lakers in 2019 with far less fan outrage and anger going his way.
But most important to Garrett in making this decision was really understanding why LeBron chose to leave and ensuring he wasn’t making a rash decision in his choice to request a trade. Garrett feels he and the Browns organization aren’t on the same page in terms of looking to win now and James likely could relate to that.
LeBron has been at the forefront of player movement in the NBA and while things are much different in the NFL, the Lakers superstar was an obvious choice for Garrett to confide in as he looks towards his future.
LeBron James discusses emotions after finding out Lakers traded Anthony Davis
The Browns trading Myles Garrett, a superstar in his prime, would be similar to the recent blockbuster trade that saw Luka Doncic land with the Lakers. LeBron James is undoubtedly excited about the prospect of teaming up with Doncic and what that can bring, but he admitted it was very difficult to learn the Lakers traded away his good friend Anthony Davis.
“My emotions were all over the place,” LeBron said about learning of the trade. “Obviously we were just coming off a huge win in the Garden. You guys have seen the report, I was out with my family at dinner and got the news.
“The first time I heard it, I thought it was for sure fake. I thought it was a hoax. People messing around or whatever. But AD FaceTimed me, and I talked to him for quite a while. Even when I got off the phone with him, it still didn’t seem real. Pretty much didn’t seem real until I saw Luka today, and then I saw the clip of AD at the Dallas shootaround. That’s when it finally hit me, like, ‘This is real.’”
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