NEW YORK — LeBron James stepped back into the public spotlight Thursday for the first time since telling the Los Angeles Lakers he planned to depart in free agency for another team, but anyone expecting an announcement at Fanatics Fest left without one.
That was not for lack of effort from Tyrese Haliburton, who served as the guest co-host of the “Mind the Game” podcast, or from the packed crowd hoping James might offer a hint.
“Is there a decision that still has to be made?” Haliburton asked only a few minutes into the live taping, speaking before roughly 5,000 fans gathered near the stage at the Javits Center.
James refused to take the bait.
“We literally talked about this in the back, Rese,” James said, making clear that naming his next team was not part of the show.
“OK, my fault, my fault,” Haliburton responded. “I didn’t know if you wanted to … OK, OK, I’ll leave it alone.”
Later in the day, though, James offered a small signal at the CNBC and Boardroom Game Plan Summit that clarity may be coming soon.
“I won’t hold you guys up too much longer,” he said.
Since James’ agent and the CEO of Klutch Sports, Rich Paul, informed the Lakers more than two weeks ago that James would be moving on, the 41-year-old star has been courted by many teams and players to join up next season.
Haliburton, who led the Indiana Pacers to the 2025 NBA Finals before tearing his right Achilles in Game 7 and missing all of last season to rehabilitate, was one of them.
“I texted Bron maybe a month ago, before he even made his decision to leave L.A., and I said, ‘Hey, if you want to come to Indiana, we can make something crack,'” Haliburton recalled.
“And he texted me back two laughing/crying faces and that’s all I got. So, I decided from then on that I’m done pursuing him in free agency. I don’t know if it’s going to happen with Indiana.”
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A handful of teams are very much still in pursuit, however, sources told ESPN, with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers and Golden State Warriors among them.
James, ever the showman, didn’t let the opportunity pass without having some fun with the spot he’s in — with the Javits Center crowd a tangible example of the captive audience he has had from the sports world waiting for his next move.
First, he referenced a recent take by Chris Brockman, a senior producer and regular on-air contributor on “The Rich Eisen Show,” who suggested there is too much being made of James this late in his career and his days as a difference-maker for an NBA team are over.
“I saw something on social media the other day that wherever I got that we may be in the play-in [tournament] or some s— like that and I’m not a factor anymore,” James said. “So, I get that, too. … It’s just a little motivation.”
Then, he interacted with fans calling out their teams for James to join.
“Warrrrioorrrrrrsssss!” a fan bellowed, inspiring others to chime in with their teams.
“Where? Where did I hear?” James replied. “I heard Warriors … I heard Philly … Miami … This guy just told me to come to the Yankees.”
His most thorough answer about his decision-making process was given in response to a question by an 11-year-old boy named Eli from Queens, who got up from his seat and approached the stage to ask James about free agency.
“That was a hell of a question and some of the media people in here probably should learn from you, young fella,” James said. “How do I feel about free agency, obviously it’s a big decision. This is the [fourth] time in my career that I’ve been a free agent. So, it’s a big decision for not only myself, but for my family as well just for the last part of my career and where I want to spend the last few years …
“Wherever I go, I will make my staple on just, I’m a natural-born leader. I am going to try to fit in with whatever team I go to but also give them all the tools and give them all the knowledge that I’ve been able to grasp over the last 23 years. I know the game. I know the ins and outs about the game of basketball.”
Speaking later at the Game Plan event, he elaborated on the family side of his situation with host Rich Kleiman.
“I have an almost 22-year-old son who is now my former teammate, which is hilarious,” James said, referring to Lakers guard Bronny James. “I have a 19-year-old son [Bryce] that’s at the University of Arizona. But it’s my almost 12-year-old daughter who is pulled away a lot [from me because of basketball].”
James then described a conversation he had with his daughter, Zhuri, leading up to free agency.
“I pulled her to the side and I was like, ‘Baby, I’m letting you know. I don’t want you to hear from nobody else, but I won’t be playing for the Lakers next year. I will be playing somewhere else,'” James recalled. “‘I won’t be home all the time. And you may not have an answer right now. You can give me an answer now. We can wait; we can write it down. I just want to know how you felt about it because you mean a lot to me. Me being away from you means a lot.’ So, the family portion is a big thing, too.”
Though James did not offer many clues about his future — other than showing up with a freshly dyed beard and suggesting that he could play not only a record-setting 24th season with his new team, but possibly a 25th, too — he did offer his first extensive thoughts on his former team.
“Shoutout my former team, I spent eight great years with the Los Angeles Lakers,” James said. “One of the most historical franchises in the world. Shoutout Jeanie Buss, the whole Buss family. Rob Pelinka. Everybody. All the coaches that I played for there. All my teammates. S—, I am going to miss them all, obviously. So, that was an unbelievable ride and I’m just looking forward to what holds next as I wind down the final stages of my journey.”
While James gave his remarks on the Lakers, his former coach — and “Mind the Game” co-host — JJ Redick was sitting in the first row in front of the stage, attending Fanatics Fest with his two sons, Kai and Knox, who both collect sports memorabilia.
“So, wherever I land in the fall, hopefully you’re ride-or-die LeBron fans if you’ve been down with me since day one, I hope you ride with me there,” James said. “If you’re a ride-or-die LeBron hater, that’s what you do anyway. So, I’m looking forward to seeing you as well.
“But it’s going to be pretty fun. It’s going to be pretty fun. Wherever I land, I’m going to do what I do best.”
