The Athletic has live coverage of LeBron James’ free agency decision.
Forget momentarily about all of the points, rebounds, assists and championships, about his brilliant basketball mind and his business acumen. The most incredible part about LeBron James right now is that at 41 years, 6 months and 21 days of age, he is still in charge of everything.
Never has that been more apparent than the last three weeks when he has effectively pulled the Jake brake on the rest of the NBA. The skid marks stretch from Philadelphia to Miami, from California to New York.
Commissioner Adam Silver acknowledged last week the league office can’t finish the schedule until LeBron chooses a destination. That’s real power.
James Harden remains unsigned while the Cleveland Cavaliers wait on yet another LeBron decision. The futures of other veterans like Draymond Green and Jonathan Kuminga remain murky because of him.
Summer League is over. This is usually around the time the league goes into hibernation, when coaches and executives take their well-deserved vacations and get away from business for most of August. LeBron is now encroaching on that time as well.
Where will LeBron James end up?
The Athletic NBA Staff and Jeshua Kidd
No one has been this powerful at this stage of a career. Not Michael Jordan, not Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, not Barry Bonds, not Wayne Gretzky. Tom Brady was 43 when he won his last Super Bowl and Jack Nicklaus was 46 the last time he won the Masters, but neither legend left his league in a chokehold like this. Maybe that was a conscious choice they made as business partners of their respective leagues. LeBron clearly doesn’t see it that way.
“We’re not going to be rushed,” his agent, Rich Paul, said on the latest episode of his podcast, “Game Over” with Max Kellerman, that was released Monday night. “We’re not going to be rushed. It’s his choice to make, and when he makes the choice, he’ll make it.”
It’s incredibly impressive, albeit a bit frustrating for those impacted. The Cavs lack the necessary clarity to make roster decisions. The same goes for the Golden State Warriors and Miami Heat. Each has a plan for the moves to make if James chooses them and a column B for if he does not. While most trades and free-agent decisions are winding down by this point in the calendar, a few teams’ offseasons may not begin until he decides.
If it feels a bit like LeBron is enjoying flexing his massive power, well, he probably is. For the last eight years, he was tolerated more than beloved in Los Angeles, chasing a ghost in Kobe Bryant that Lakers fans were never going to allow him to catch.
He is no longer a top 10 player. He isn’t going to drag a roster to an NBA Finals as he did multiple times in Cleveland. He stopped playing defense years ago. He doesn’t have multiple franchises flying into his hometown to visit with him as he once did. He doesn’t have general managers willing to blow up their own rosters to accommodate him. He is nobody’s future.
But his ongoing free agency watch that has dragged on through much of July is his subtle reminder of just how much power and influence he still possesses.
LeBron James has traveled the world and played a lot of golf this summer, with the NBA waiting on his decision. (Malcolm Griffiths / Getty Images)
He has earned the right throughout a brilliant career to take as long as he wants. The league has generated billions off his name for the last two decades. If the last few weeks have made life difficult for the commissioner, don’t expect an apology. If he inconveniences a few people across the league, if he alters a few vacation plans, he probably isn’t going to care much. Consider it the tax bill coming due on 20 years of benefits.
At some point (hopefully soon), however, all of this has to stop. As a partner of the league, which he most certainly is at this stage of his career, he owes it to the rest of the firm to allow business to resume. He has all of the information he needs. He’s had his fun bringing this process to a halt. Silver has readily acknowledged the power he still holds.
While watching LeBron operate up close and from afar for the last 20 years, one thing that has become apparent is that he can wear on an organization. His mood and his antics can aggravate the team and league officials. He spends October to April running up the tab, then he pays the bill in May and June. He makes it all worth it, even at this stage of life.
So let this summer serve as a reminder. If he was underappreciated the last few years in Los Angeles, if he doesn’t believe he received the respect he deserved, he’s most certainly getting it now.
It’s almost the end of July. LeBron is 41 years old, and the NBA is yet again operating on his timeline. The rest of us? We are left watching and waiting. We are all — still — witnesses.
