CLEVELAND — Every once in a while, a king must return to tend to his subjects.
The Cavaliers welcomed an old friend back to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Monday, with franchise legend LeBron James and his wife Savannah attending the team's playoff game against the Boston Celtics. It marks a rare non-playing appearance inside the arena for "The Kid from Akron," who just wrapped up his sixth season with the Los Angeles Lakers.
In 11 years over two stints with Cleveland, James set just about every meaningful record in club history, while also leading the Cavs to five Eastern Conference championships and a historic NBA title in 2016. Though he no longer dons the Wine and Gold, Northeast Ohio fans remain forever grateful, and offered up a rousing standing ovation when James and Savannah were shown on the video board during the first quarter.
With the Lakers already eliminated from the postseason and LeBron able to opt out of his contract in the offseason, some have wondered if a third go-round with the Cavaliers could be in the cards. Vegas currently gives the Cavs 16-1 (+1600) odds at landing James for 2024-25, third-best behind the heavily favored Lakers (-475) and his former rivals in the Golden State Warriors (+1000).
Besides his own future, James is also keeping a close eye on his son Bronny, who could either head to the NBA draft or transfer to another school for his second year of college ball. It's been speculated that LeBron could seek to play with his son next year, adding intrigue to the 19-year-old's potential draft stock.
The Cavs entered Monday's Game 4 trailing the Eastern Conference Semifinals 2-1 to the Celtics.