NBA icon LeBron James is reportedly headed back to the Cleveland Cavaliers, marking what would be his third tenure with the franchise that drafted him. The news comes as James, 41, became a free agent after the 2025-26 season, opting not to re-sign with the Los Angeles Lakers after an eight-year stint in California.
The bombshell report emerged from veteran sportswriter Bill Simmons, who declared on his podcast that a return to the Cavaliers was a “done” deal. This potential move would see James, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, embark on a record 24th NBA season, turning 42 in December.
Simmons’s ‘done deal’ met with caution
While Simmons’s claim sent ripples through the basketball world, it was met with a degree of caution. Cavaliers reporter Jackson Flickinger, writing for FearTheSword.com, acknowledged Simmons’s deep connections within NBA circles but noted the casual manner in which the news was delivered. “Simmons says this in a somewhat flippant way, an hour into a two-hour podcast,” Flickinger observed. “If he were going to break news this big, it’d make a lot more sense to lead off his show with this or put it up on the website he owns.”
James’s agent, Rich Paul, had previously indicated to The Athletic, that his client’s desire for another NBA championship ring was a driving factor in his decision to leave the Lakers. Paul stated, “LeBron knows the Lakers are building for the future, and he also wants to compete for championships… He wants to make every season he has left count.” The Lakers, for their part, expressed gratitude for James’s contributions. Lakers governor Jeanie Buss said, “We will always be thankful for his eight years with the Lakers — including the title he led us to in 2020 under the toughest imaginable circumstances and the countless records he broke in purple and gold.”
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A legacy defined by Cleveland returns
James was the first overall pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2003 NBA Draft. He departed in 2010 for the Miami Heat, where he secured his first two NBA championships. His much-anticipated return to Cleveland in 2014 culminated in a historic 2016 NBA Finals victory over the Golden State Warriors, where he was named Finals MVP.
He then joined the Lakers in 2018, leading them to a fourth championship in 2020, defeating the Heat in six games. His tenure in Los Angeles included:
- 8 seasons
- 2020 NBA champion
- 2020 Finals MVP
- 8-time All-Star
- 7-time All-NBA selection
In his final season with the Lakers, James continued to defy age, averaging 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 7.2 assists, shooting 51.5 percent from the field. He maintained a remarkable streak of scoring at least 20 points per game for 23 straight years. Potential alternative destinations for James included the Golden State Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers, and Boston Celtics, but it appears his heart, and perhaps his final championship aspirations, lie once more in Cleveland.
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