LeBron James Watch is still on, perhaps in part due to pure pettiness.
The former Los Angeles Lakers star pulled a petty move on NBA commissioner Adam Silver, Cleveland-area writer Andy Baskin reported on Wednesday during an appearance on 92.3 The Fan. Baskin says that James and his crew were ready to announce a decision last week but that they were “irritated” at Silver’s recent comments about James’ free agency.
As a result, Baskin says, James decided to hold back on making an announcement. Now James still has yet to announce his next team over three weeks into the official NBA free agency period.
For context, Silver addressed James’ ongoing free agency at the CNBC Sport x Boardroom Game Plan Summit last week. Silver said that James’ waiting period was impacting the NBA’s schedule-making for next season, seemingly implying that James needed to get a move on.
Silver took over as NBA commissioner in 2014, succeeding the late David Stern. While there have never been any public signs of friction between him and James, Silver certainly appears to have really annoyed The King with his latest comments.
Now this week, some hints are emerging that the 41-year-old James may finally be nearing a decision. But at this point, it is very clear that James is willing to drag out the drama for as long as he would like to.
