The Cleveland Cavaliers were scheduled to host the Los Angeles Lakers inside Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Thursday, which meant LeBron James would've been returning to his hometown team. However, with the NBA's decision to suspend the 2019-20 regular season due to the coronavirus pandemic, the game was postponed.
As part of a recent appearance on the Road Trippin' podcast, the Lakers star lamented the fact that he won't be able to “look up at that banner.”
“It's always special going back there and looking up there and look at that banner,” James said, referring to the 2016 championship banner he helped the Cavs earn. “Think about all the great memories that we had. And then being able to play in front of my friends and family again. That would have been so cool. … I'm kind of bummed out about that.”
James might be on the Lakers now, but he will always be held in high regard among Cavs fans. Alongside Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson, James led Cleveland to its first championship in franchise history, defeating a 73-win Golden State Warriors team in the NBA Finals in epic come-from-behind fashion and ending a 52-year drought in the city:
Now with the Lakers, James is showing little to no signs of regression. In fact, for the first time in his illustrious career, the three-time champion has a real shot at leading the NBA in assists. This would be a remarkable feat for the Lakers star.
In his 60 appearances with the Lakers this season, James has racked up averages of 25.7 points on 49.8 percent shooting from the field (34.9 percent from beyond the arc), a career-high 10.6 assists, 7.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 34.9 minutes per outing.
Though he's no longer playing for the Cavs, it's clear that James has a special place in his heart for his hometown team. It's too bad he likely won't be able to visit Cleveland as a member of the Lakers this season.
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