Sports personality Shannon Sharpe is a friend of LeBron James to make his claims about the Miami Heat more relevant. Sharpe has become jokingly known as a LeBron superfan, but they do have a friendship behind the scenes. James has a lot of love for the former NFL legend and has confirmed that they have a close bond outside of the public spotlight.
Sharpe used his Nightcap podcast to surprisingly name the Heat as LeBron’s top destination:
“So, for me, I’d rank them like this: Heat as No. 1. Cavaliers as No. 2. Nuggets as No. 3. Timberwolves as No. 4. The reason I can’t put Philly higher is there’s just too much uncertainty with Joel Embiid. Based on his history, Joe, what’s the absolute best we can realistically hope for? Fifty-five games? And then what do we see in the postseason? He played one series and did what?”
No conversations with James were mentioned, but Sharpe does have a closer connection to both LeBron and people around him. The belief of Sharpe is that James believes Pat Riley’s leadership and Giannis Antetokounmpo becoming the new face of the franchise could make them contenders. LeBron enjoyed his time playing in Miami from 2010 to 2014 with two NBA Championships.
Miami Heat Are Considered Underdogs To Land LeBron
Part of the reason for this quote holding relevance is that few pundits are forecasting LeBron to join the Heat. While Miami is indeed mentioned in most conversations as a secondary contender, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors have been viewed as the favorites to sign James.
One offers the potential to retire with the franchise that drafted him and play for his hometown fans one more time. The other sees the dream partnership of teaming up with Stephen Curry for the first time after spending years as intense rivals.
The Heat must convince LeBron that they can provide something better than those two teams and the other options. Sharpe believes they have a real chance at signing James, so Riley must turn back the clock to prove he’s still an influential NBA personality to attract stars.
Shannon Sharpe Was Right About LeBron Leaving Lakers
Sharpe’s words deserve credibility due to his connections to LeBron and being accurate about stories related to the basketball legend. Months of discussion at the end of the regular season and during the postseason saw Sharpe forecasting that James would leave the Los Angeles Lakers.
The prediction came at a time when the Lakers were the strong favorites to retain LeBron, but Sharpe ended up being right. Miami should be considered a realistic option since James is taking his time and reportedly is nowhere close to making an official decision.
Teams involved in the LeBron sweepstakes still have a chance to convince him to give their franchise a chance. Sharpe believes that the Heat should be considered the top team to land James, with Cleveland and the Denver Nuggets right behind. It is also important to note that Sharpe doesn’t believe Golden State nor the Philadelphia 76ers have a realistic chance at LeBron.
LeBron James’ Friend Says Heat Are Current Leaders To Sign Him