LeBron James’ decision to join the Miami Heat in 2010 sent shockwaves across the NBA. As time has passed, more information on the backdrop of ‘The Decision’ has been revealed.
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As it turns out, the Bulls were considered a legitimate landing spot for ‘The King’ at the time. However, it is believed that the franchise’s storied past involving Michael Jordan ruled out LBJ’s move to Chicago.
On his ‘Club 520 Podcast’, Jeff Teague shared his honest opinion on why LeBron would’ve never signed with the Bulls. Firstly, he claimed that he remembers Bron’s ‘The Decision’ more vividly than Kevin Durant’s move to the Golden State Warriors.
However, Teague thought LeBron would be going to New York. But he never believed in the rumors of LBJ going to Chicago.
The 2021 NBA Champion said,
“That would have been crazy. He couldn’t go play where Mike played though. Bron, he surpassed every single thing that has ever been put on him. But it just don’t look good for the history, going to play where Mike played…Chicago is Mike.”
The former All-Star guard believes that the stature of Jordan in Chicago would’ve been too much for LeBron to overcome.
Teague indicated that LeBron would’ve never been able to flourish in a city that is still faithful to MJ. A major reason why LeBron’s legacy will be remembered is because of his work in Cleveland, his home city.
The ability to take over a franchise and create something special defines a player. LeBron wouldn’t have been able to do that with the Bulls due to Jordan’s legacy.
New York was seen as a landing spot for the King as well
Before ‘The Decision’, LeBron held a series of meetings with various teams to decide where his next home would be.
The Knicks were considered the “favorites” to land the superstar forward. The Ringer’s Bill Simmons confirmed this rumor on his podcast. He said,
“From everyone I’ve talked to in the know since then, it’s clear that the Knicks were the first choice. It was the basically the Knicks’ to lose, and they just couldn’t stay out of their own way. The stories are legendary.”
New York didn’t even receive a second meeting with the eventual all-time leading scorer. To make matters worse, LeBron organized a live televised broadcast, which was aired on ESPN, titled ‘The Decision’.
If the program hurt anyone even close to the fans in Cleveland, it has to be the fans in NYC.
