The numerous possibilities that could have turned the tide for many NBA bigwigs of the league are chalked up to ‘what-ifs’. One such example of this is Lakers’ superstar LeBron James.
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From Miami Heat to Cleveland Cavaliers and then Los Angeles Lakers, Bron has made many team-altering decisions. In 2018, he opted out of the Cavaliers’ contract and went into unrestricted free agency.
Having won his career’s third championship with the Cavaliers in 2016, the King was at a crossroads with his next step in the league. Eventually, he signed a deal with the Lakers, one of the legendary franchises. However, there was another team in LeBron’s mind. It was the New York Knicks!
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USA Today via Reuters
May 19, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) gets past Golden State Warriors forward Juan Toscano-Anderson (95) for a basket in the first quarter of the game at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports | Courtesy: Reuters
James was keen on joining the Knicks after his prime years in the league. But then what restricted him from doing so?
The change of events for LeBron James
Famous journalist and writer Lisa Robinson revealed the background of this story on ‘Brian Windhorst and The Hoop Collective’ show. According to her, LeBron’s wife Savannah Brinson made changes to the star player’s choices.
“We heard that LeBron wanted to come to New York. And I have really good sources about this, that he was thinking about coming to New York but that his wife wanted to be in Los Angeles, wanted the kids to go to school in Los Angeles, and that just kibosh’d the whole thing.”
If we rewind back to 2018, Knicks was dependent on the likes of Tim Hardaway, Enes Kanter, and DeAndre Jordan. However, the NY team finished the 2018-19 season with the worst record and didn’t qualify for the Playoffs.
Could the King have achieved enough with the Knicks?
The suspense remains whether LeBron would have made much difference to the team’s plight had he joined the Knicks. Nonetheless, he went ahead with purple-gold jerseys and the Lakers found their best deal. The next year, Anthony Davis gave him company to form one of the best duos in the league. They together broke several records in a dominant fashion and grabbed the NBA title in 2020.
Things would have been quite different for James had he joined the Knicks in 2018. But, nobody will ever know how it would have turned out to be.
At the moment, Knicks is doing well so far in this season. They have clinched the fourth playoff spot in the East with Julius Randle leading the charts.
Do you think LeBron’s wife paved the correct path for one of the greatest players in basketball history?
