CLEVELAND, Ohio — As LeBron James walked into Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse Wednesday night, welcomed back by a rotating billboard outside the visitor’s locker room that featured a photo of him holding the 2016 NBA championship trophy, one specific thought crossed his mind. It’s the same one for each Cleveland homecoming.
Basketball impermanence.
“Every time I come here, it’s like, ‘OK, how many more times will it be for me in this building?’ It could only be a couple more times. Maybe it’s only one more time now. I don’t know the answer,’” James told cleveland.com during a one-on-one chat before he boarded the team bus late Wednesday night. “But I know I’m on the other side of the fence than that previous fence. I know I don’t have many more times coming here and playing the game that I love, so I don’t take it for granted.”
LeBron is 39 years old. Two months away from turning 40. This is season 22. Over the summer, he and the Lakers agreed to a two-year, $101 million contract that includes a no-trade clause and a $52 million player option for 2025-26. The deal keeps James on the Lakers until he is 41 — if he plays out the full length of the contract.
He hasn’t officially announced when he will call it quits. Doesn’t know yet. But the figurative countdown has started — even though he is still playing at a high level, leading all scorers with 26 points in Cleveland’s 134-110 victory.
That’s part of the reason Wednesday night carried so much significance, why he tried to soak in the crowd reaction despite being angry about the Lakers’ play at the time when the latest tribute video aired, why he savored every bite of his customary Swensons postgame meal, minus the banana shake because of the illness he’s been battling for a little more than a week.
“Not at my usual,” James said. “But still happy to be out there and then able to contribute a little bit while on the floor. We spent a lot of years here. We’re part of this community. We have so many great moments not only on the floor at this arena, but a lot of great memories off the floor as well in this community. To have the mutual respect and love for what we was able to accomplish in the years that we were here, it’s definitely very humbling.”
But there was an added emotional layer to Wednesday night: Getting to see his eldest son, Bronny, play in the same arena that James called home for 11 years, on the same floor where Bronny would dribble and shoot after games as a kid, the one with a practice gym in the attic where Bronny played friendly runs while James and the Cavaliers were downstairs on a quest for an NBA title. An arena with unforgettable James family memories, about 35 miles north of where Bronny’s basketball journey began.
For the first three quarters, Bronny was a spectator. No surprise. He had only logged three total minutes up to that point — all in the team’s season opener on Oct. 22, more of a ceremonial appearance so Bronny and dad could become the first ever father-son duo to play in the NBA together.
But around the 8:30 mark of the fourth quarter, with the Cavs in firm control, headed for their fifth straight win to open the season, Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse echoed with “We want Bronny” chants.
A few minutes later, the 20-year-old youngster, who was born at Cuyahoga Falls General Hospital, popped off the Lakers bench and calmly strolled to the scorer’s table while the arena roared as if his dad had just thrown down a thunderous transition dunk.
Then came another massive ovation with about two minutes remaining, as fans who stayed long enough got to witness Bronny’s first NBA basket — a silky 14-foot jumper.
“It was just a dream come true for me,” Bronny said. “I was still in game mode when I hit the shot, so I didn’t really acknowledge it while I was playing. But yeah, it felt good after.”
“That meant everything to have it happen here,” James added. “We didn’t plan it this way. It just kind of happened. He had an opportunity in the first game and he kind of missed a 3 on the right wing that I gave him the assist to, but God works in mysterious ways.”
At this point, LeBron has basically accomplished it all in his career.
All-time leading scorer. Multi-time champion. Perhaps the greatest player ever. And, now, in the first week of his 22nd season, he’s been able to hit a few other milestones — sharing the floor with his son and being there in person for those first points.
Aside from assisting on a Bronny bucket, what else is there for LeBron at this point?
Former teammate Tristan Thompson offered one other possibility in a recent conversation with cleveland.com — extending his NBA career long enough to play with Bryce, a 17-year-old rising senior at Sierra Canyon that has already received offers from Ohio State and Duquesne.
Is that realistic? Has LeBron given that any thought?
“Oh s—,” LeBron said while laughing when cleveland.com brought up Thompson’s comments. “Bryce is a senior. I don’t know. We’ll see. We’ll see. That would be pretty cool. It’s all about my mind and then seeing how my body reacts over these next couple of years.”
For now, LeBron’s focus is on the Lakers — soaking up these moments playing alongside Bronny, something LeBron used to mention being one of the last things he wanted to accomplish before hanging up his sneakers.
“It’s the greatest thing in the world,” LeBron said. “Kids always have these dreams when they’re super young and, as parents, you just, you try to put them in a position to, at one point, throughout their lives, that maybe that dream can become a reality if that’s what they want to do.
“He said from day one, his little brother said from day one, the game of basketball is what they love and that’s what they want to do. Between myself and Savannah and our supporting cast of friends and family, it was just for us to be their support, give them the guidance, give them the tools, give them whatever they need to be able to possibly reach their goal to where it could become a reality.
“To see that he is in the midst of his reality and his dream at the same time is just super cool for a parent. And to see what he does when the camera’s not rolling is even more gratifying. The hard work that he puts in every single day to continue to get better and better at the profession that he chose, it’s very gratifying, very cool, very humbling. Super proud of him. Super proud of our kids. Myself and Savannah, we’re super proud of Bronnie, Bryce, and Zhuri. They’re just awesome.”