As of now, nobody knows if this will be LeBron James’ final NBA season. What we know for sure is that he’s still playing at an extremely high level. So it’s possible that he could come back to extend his own record by playing in a 24th season. However, anybody claiming to know whether he’ll continue playing beyond this season is clearly lying.
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It’s not the first time that we have been anticipating a big decision from this man. Most of us can remember ‘The Decision,’ the made-for-TV, first-of-its-kind spectacle in 2010 in which LeBron eventually announced that he was leaving Cleveland to join forces with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh on the Miami Heat.
Most fans can remember the shock they felt back then. Cavs fans had their hearts broken, and many burned their LeBron jerseys in protest. As far as the NBA was concerned, this was the launching point of the player empowerment era.
LeBron showed in that moment, for better or for worse, that an elite athlete could take control of their destiny instead of waiting around and hoping his team’s front office does right by him. The moment James took charge came at a critical juncture for the Cavaliers, though.
Byron Scott took the Cleveland head coaching job on July 1, 2010. Exactly a week later, LeBron left for Miami. On this week’s episode of Byron Scott’s Fast Break, he explained why he was prepared for either outcome, but wasn’t surprised when LeBron took his talents to South Beach.
“When I took that job, I said, listen, either we’re gonna have a chance to win a championship if he stays, and if he leaves, I’m hoping that they’ll let me help rebuild this organization,” Scott told his cohost, Jay Wagers. “So I felt that it was kind of a win-win situation.”
However, being prepared for either eventuality didn’t mean Scott had any insight that the rest of the NBA didn’t. He was in the dark regarding LeBron’s decision. He had even seen working out shortly before ‘The Decision.’ And the Cavs front office didn’t expect the bad news.
“I knew when he wasn’t coming back, though,” Scott said, “because we were in a meeting and my general manager [Chris Grant]… He said, ‘Oh, he ain’t leaving, he ain’t got the balls to leave.'”
When Scott seemed surprised at that, Grant doubled down by repeating what he had said. Rather than take Grant’s word for gospel, Scott decided to go to a reliable source: Chris Paul, who had been a longtime friend of LeBron. Scott called CP3 up and asked him if he knew what his buddy planned to do.
“He said, ‘Coach, let me call you back,'” Scott said of Paul. “He called me back within 10 minutes, he said, ‘Oh, he’s gone, coach.'”
Scott relayed that information to the front office, and they still didn’t think LeBron had it in him to leave. But they soon found out the hard way that they were wrong.
LeBron struggled that first year in Miami with all the hate and backlash he received from his decision. After that, though, he embraced being the villain as he led the Heat to two straight titles, the first two of his career. James eventually returned to Cleveland and led the Cavs to their first title in ultra dramatic fashion, coming back from 3-1 down against the 73-win Warriors in 2016.
As everyone wonders what LeBron will do when he becomes a free agent again this summer, maybe there’s a simple answer. Has anyone thought of giving Chris Paul a call?
