Getty Lakers superstar LeBron James
Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James becomes an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2023 and one of his former teammates sounds eager to pry the Akron Hammer away from the Lakers.
Five-time All-Star Kevin Love, who won the 2016 championship with LeBron on the Cleveland Cavaliers, believes it would be a “storybook” ending if the King finished his career on the Cavaliers.
“I mean, that’s like a storybook ending for him,” Love told Mark Carman of Fansided. “I don’t want to project what he may or may not want to do, but where our team is trending and how we’re set up to win for a very long time and how much you know, Cleveland and Akron and all of Ohio loves him. It’d be great to get Bronny over here too and then we’ll call it a day.”
During All-Star weekend in Cleveland, LeBron told Jason Lloyd of The Athletic that he wants to play with his son, Bronny, in the NBA. The four-time champion also didn’t rule out playing for the Cavaliers again.
LeBron: ‘My Last Year Will Be Played with My Son’
LeBron wants to make NBA history and become the first father to play with his son in the NBA. Bronny is currently a high school junior and won’t be draft-eligible for two more years.
“My last year will be played with my son,” LeBron told Lloyd. “Wherever Bronny is at, that’s where I’ll be. I would do whatever it takes to play with my son for one year. It’s not about the money at that point.”
The Cavaliers, led by Love, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, Caris LeVert, Jarrett Allen and Lauri Markkanen, have been one of the NBA’s biggest surprises this season. They are in seventh place in the Eastern Conference standings and 13th in the league in net rating.
If LeBron signed with the Cavaliers in 2023, Cleveland would become title contenders since LBJ has shown few signs of slowing down. The four-time MVP is averaging 30.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 6.2 assists this season despite being 37 years old.
It will be fascinating to see what LeBron does in 2023, but the future Hall of Famer and Love will always be close friends no matter what decision he makes.
Love Is in a Group Chat with LeBron
Love told Carman that he’s in a group chat with LeBron. Six players from the 2016 Cavaliers championship team are in the group chat, with Love being the only one who still plays in Cleveland.
“We have six of us on there,” Love said. “It’s pretty much like the big the super veteran guys that were on that team. We definitely have a great text chain that we had that that we love. … When he (LeBron) got the Razzie for worse actor, we sent him that we thought that was pretty funny, but now he takes everything in stride. There is nothing off-limits and we have a bond that will never be broken, especially in the way that we not only won that series but how we operated throughout the entire season, just having so much fun. That bond will never be broken. I’ll be seeing those guys, you know, in June for my wedding.”
All eyes will be on LeBron in the summer of 2023.