“LeBron James told me he’s leaving the Cavaliers for Miami a year before leaving”: Charles Oakley shockingly reveals the Lakers superstar knew all along he would leave the Cavs

Charles Oakley says that LeBron James told him he was leaving the Cavaliers for the Miami Heat in 2009, a year before actually leaving. 

Seems as though Charles Oakley gets the inside scope on LeBron James joining or leaving teams before everybody else. The former Chicago Bull admitted that him having a fallout with Knicks owner, James Dolan, and him not shaking his hand or even acknowledging him at a party, led to James saying he would never be a Knick in his life. 

Now it’s being revealed by Oak himself yet again that LeBron James confided in him about one of the biggest decisions in NBA history. 

In an effort to promote his new book, Oakley has been doing rounds across the NBA sphere, talking about the contents of the book while also chipping in on the current state of the league. He’s talked about LeBron James quite a bit and rightfully so, given how close they are.

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He would give his opinion on James and potentially leaving the Los Angeles Lakers in due time, saying that the 4x champ ‘might’ actually do it. ‘He left twice, he’ll leave again.” 

Charles Oakley on LeBron James telling him about ‘The Decision’. 

With the NBA rumor mill churning out all kinds of ‘LeBron to the Cavs’ speculation these past few days, Charles Oakley opens up about the first time LeBron James actually left a team. This would be the 2010 ‘The Decision’ spectacle where James took his talents to South Beach. 

According to the Knicks bruiser, James told him about leaving Cleveland for Miami in 2009, a whole year before actually making the decision public.

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“It was the first two games of that season (2009-10); he called me and said he was going to be in Florida. Orlando first. Come down, I had dinner with him, had a good time. And then the next night, it was a back-to-back, in Miami. On that night he said, ‘You know, I’m thinking about going to Miami.’”  

With the Cleveland Cavaliers having suffered postseason heartbreak at the hands of the Boston Celtics and the Orlando Magic the years prior, teaming up with Dwyane Wade wouldn’t feel like a shabby idea in the slightest. 

The one inconsistency here is that the Cleveland Cavaliers did not play the Miami Heat or the Orlando Magic until November 11th, with the season staring on October 27th. Perhaps Oak’s memory may be a bit skewed on the exact schedule that the Cavs had at the time.