Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James returned to a familiar place on Wednesday when his team faced the Cleveland Cavaliers. The 41-year-old, of course, is an Akron, Ohio, native and began his NBA career with the Cavaliers when the franchise drafted him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft.
With James playing his 23rd NBA season — and the Lakers having only one scheduled trip to Cleveland this year — the franchise gave him a proper welcome home tribute. Midway through the first quarter, the Cavaliers showed highlights of James scoring 25 consecutive points against the Detroit Pistons in the 2007 Eastern Conference finals. That series was ultimately won by the Cavs, helping the franchise secure a ticket to the NBA Finals.
During the video tribute, James appeared to tear up. After the video played and before James returned to the court, he was shown wiping his eyes with a towel.
After the game, a 129-99 loss, James said he was “more present” for this particular tribute than his past appearances as a visitor in Cleveland.Â
“I think it comes from just being present. I was more present today than the previous seven,” James said. “Definitely got to me a little bit. For sure. I was super thankful.”
With the game out of hand in the second half, Bronny James — LeBron’s son and a deep reserve for the Lakers — got some rare playing time down the stretch. He made the most of it in eight minutes, scoring eight points on a fastbreak dunk and a pair of 3-pointers. The elder James was appreciative of the moment and made note of the reception Bronny received from the Cleveland fans.
“It’s a homecoming for him. Just to see him get that dunk, hit a couple shots, get the ovation from the fans — pretty cool moment for him, for us as a family, for my wife and his siblings,” James said. “My mom is here watching her son and her grandson. It’s so weird and so cool and so surreal. My mom gets to watch her son and her grandson play in the NBA at the same time.”
James spent 11 seasons with the Cavaliers across two stints with the franchise. James helped Cleveland win the 2016 NBA Finals over the Golden State Warriors after battling back from a 3-1 deficit. James left Cleveland as a free agent in 2018 to join the Lakers.
With James’ retirement timeline unclear, this could mark his final time playing in Cleveland if he steps away after the 2025-26 season. However, ESPN reported in November that James is unsure if this will be his last season or if he will play at least one more.
James is averaging 22.4 points, 6.7 assists and 6.0 rebounds in 33.4 minutes per game. James has appeared in 28 games this season after missing the first month due to sciatica.