LeBron Reveals Which Teams He Considered Before Signing With Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers had the best odds to land LeBron James in free agency before the NBA Finals were over, but that doesn’t mean it was a no-brainer for James.

Before he inked the deal with Lakers, the King had several intriguing options to weigh.

James spoke to the media on Monday at the opening of his new I Promise School in Akron, Ohio and also talked a little basketball, revealing which teams he considered before ultimately signing with the Lakers.

“I did my due diligence after the season on the pros and cons on a lot of different teams, including the Cavs and including Philadelphia, including Houston and Los Angeles,” James said. “So it wasn’t as quick as it may seem. It just wasn’t July 9 like it was before. So after talking to my family more than anybody, I felt like this was the next step in my journey.”

It’s no surprise that the 76ers and Rockets, as well as the Cavs and Lakers, were making a strong push for James’ services, but it’s interesting to hear that he actually considered all four teams, and possibly some others, before making the final decision.

And it wasn’t an easy one to make. James has put a lot of thought into all the possibilities, saying he was intrigued by the thought of playing with Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid in Philadelphia or James Harden and Chris Paul in Houston, which made the decision that much harder.

LeBron said on ESPN “I definitely thought long and hard about the possibilities about lining up alongside Ben (Simmons) and (Joel) Embiid. Or a lineup alongside Harden and Chris.” but that he wanted the “challenge” of helping the Lakers get back on top.

— TV’s Harrison Faigen (@hmfaigen) July 30, 2018

LeBron explained the reasons why he chose to join the Lakers, but that won’t stop us from wondering what the league might have looked like if he had decided to go to the 76ers or Rockets instead.