When the Cleveland Cavaliers decided they wanted to wear their sleeved jerseys for Game 5 of the NBA Finals, they were sure to run it by LeBron James first. Thanks to the help of a seamstress, LeBron had no objection.
LeBron has made it very clear in the past that he does not like the sleeved jerseys, though he openly admitted the issue is probably mental. But this time was different, as Cavs’ director of team operations Mark Cashman had a seamstress who works for the Cleveland Browns alter LeBron’s jersey to make the sleeves looser.
Here’s more from ESPN’s Dave McMenamin:
So Cashman called up a friend of his, Becky Zielinski, who works as a seamstress for the Cleveland Browns, and asked her to look into making some alterations on James’ jersey. She had experience over the years with quarterbacks who preferred to wear tight-fitting uniforms while having a looser fit around the shoulders and armpits to provide them greater range of motion to make throws. She made the same alterations for James.
The Cavs wanted to change something up when they were trailing the Warriors 3-1 and on the brink of elimination. What they didn’t want was a repeat of a rough game LeBron had earlier this season, when he ended up ripping the sleeves on his jersey like The Incredible Hulk. You can see that video here.
James hit 16-of-30 shots from the field and scored 41 points in Game 5. I guess you can say the alteration works for him.
Photo: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
