When LeBron James was a free agent in 2010 and 2014, his free agency was largely conducted out of an office building in Cleveland. In 2010, six teams came to pitch James personally on playing for them. In 2014, James sat out the initial meetings, which were instead conducted by his agent, Rich Paul, before eventually speaking with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat later in the process
Now, it seems, the recruiting ground has changed. James is reportedly not expected to meet with any teams. Instead, Paul will again run point on the conversations with teams before presenting James with his options. Most of these conversations are happening in private. On Wednesday, though, one of them became public
Bob Myers, president of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, appeared on Paul’s podcast, Game Over, to pitch the Philadelphia 76ers. “What I would say to LeBron is if it’s about winning, this is the team to win,” Myers argued. The pitch is seemingly a compelling one. James is taking the 76ers “really seriously” after they landed Jaylen Brown in a blockbuster trade with the Boston CelticsÂ
This wasn’t the first notable James free agent moment to come on Paul’s podcast either. Earlier in the process, Paul shared his whiteboard of possible James teams, with hypothetical lineups and arguments in favor of several suitors. Myers was the first figure from one of those whiteboard teams to come pitch James directly on the show, but now that the seal has been broken, why shouldn’t other teams try to send some of their own recruiters to the podcast to make their pitch?
So let’s go through the rest of that whiteboard. The 76ers sent Myers. The San Antonio Spurs are seemingly crossed off the list. But who should the eight other teams on the board send to sell James on a future with their team? Let’s go through each one by one to figure it out
Golden State Warriors: Draymond Green
We’ve more or less lost the great television crossovers of yore. Remember when the Jetsons met the Flintstones? That time has sadly passed, but media evolves, and podcasts now sit atop the sports talk ecosystem. So why not engineer a crossover between Game Over and the successful Draymond Green Show?
If this is about making a successful pitch, Green has a track record on that front. He famously texted Kevin Durant immediately after losing Game 7 of the 2016 Finals and ultimately convinced him to join the Warriors. If this is about making a successful podcast, Green works there as well. He’s a content goldmine who produces viral clips on his own show all the time. Oh yeah, and he’s probably the easiest guest to book for this as well, as Paul also happens to be his agent. I’m frankly surprised that this one hasn’t happened yet.
Denver Nuggets: Peyton Manning
An aging athlete forced to leave his team as it rebuilds around a younger star is considering a move to Denver? Hmm… where have I heard that before? After a legendary 14-year stint with the Indianapolis Colts, Peyton Manning closed his career on a four-year stint with the Denver Broncos that included two Super Bowl trips, one Super Bowl victory, an MVP award and the single-season passing yards and passing touchdown records. Not too shabby
Manning was recruited to Denver in large part by another local athletic legend: John Elway. Now Manning could pass the torch to James as the aging athlete brought in to bring Denver sports back to glory. The basketball fit is obvious: who wouldn’t want to play with Nikola Jokić? The bigger question here is lifestyle. James has been in Los Angeles for the past eight years. Would he really want to live in Denver? This is where Manning’s pitch would be most important. He still lives in Denver to this day and frequently attends Nuggets games. Nuggets mascot Rocky once infamously dropped a pass from Manning in the stands. James was a high school wide receiver. The dots connect themselves.
Manning is perhaps the best “SNL” host the sports world has ever produced. He’s a seasoned media pro now, thanks to the Manning Cast. If this is about producing content, come on, you know this would be gold. There’s even precedent for cross-sports recruiting. The Boston Celtics brought Tom Brady to their Durant pitch in 2016. I know I shouldn’t be taking this concept too seriously, but I’ve spent three paragraphs talking myself into what a fun podcast this could be. Make it happen, fellas
Minnesota Timberwolves: Anthony Edwards
Modern media training has made most active athletes far less quotable. Anthony Edwards is an exception. He’s one of the NBA’s most fun characters. I mean, have you seen “Hustle?” How many NBA players are capable of playing a legitimate movie villain? Edwards did it. He’s your best bet at getting content out of one of the players in the mix here, aside from Green, and he’s probably the person best suited to selling James on the components of joining the Timberwolves that are a bit shakier
The basketball fit is nearly perfect. The Timberwolves have a LeBron James-shaped hole at power forward. The question is living out a cold winter in Minneapolis, a city that has never hosted an athlete with James’ level of fame. Edwards is the closest modern equivalent, and he has spent his whole career to this point in Minnesota. Sell him on being a star in that market, or at least hand out the best ice fishing spots
Boston Celtics: Bill Simmons
I know the whiteboard said “Brad (Stevens) and (Jayson) Tatum,” but come on, you know who the people want to hear from. Game Over is a Ringer podcast and The Ringer was founded by the unofficial leader of the Celtics fanbase. The entire NBA world waited with bated breath to hear the Podfather’s reaction to Boston’s controversial Brown trade, and he did not disappoint when he revealed he learned of the deal immediately following a colonoscopy. Simmons conceived The Decision 16 years ago. Who better to sell him on the Celtics all these years later?
Miami Heat: Pat Riley
You know the story by now. Pat Riley walks into his meeting with James in 2010 and drops seven rings on the table. The message was simple and clear: I’m the one who knows how to get you championships. Well, think of the theatre of a 2026 redux. Riley walks into a podcast studio. This time, he drops just two rings on the table: the two he won with James in 2012 and 2013. The message is, again, clear, but a bit more targeted: I’m the one who knows how to get you championships.Â
James won one championship each with the Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers. Only Riley got him two, and his recent acquisition of Giannis Antetokounmpo was a nice reminder that, even at 81, he still knows how to reel in the biggest fish
New York Knicks: Mariska Hargitay
If notoriously media-averse Knicks president Leon Rose hadn’t just done the Roommates Show with Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart, he’d probably be the pick. Rose once mentored Paul at CAA before Paul left to start Klutch Sports. Their relationship was icy for years afterward, but eventually thawed after they reportedly met following Rose’s ascension to the Knicks presidency. Alas, bringing in Rose now would just be retreading ground that Brunson and Hart already covered
Hart would be an incredible guest as well, but the dynamics would be a bit strange since James would presumably be taking his slot in New York’s starting lineup. Hart would probably accept coming off the bench for James. He offered to do so in the 2025 playoffs. But no player is eagerly going to publicly ask someone to take their job. I considered Earl Monroe to sell James on the notion of joining the Knicks after a championship, since he did so between their 1970 and 1973 titles, but he’s not as much of a needle-mover in the media space as our other Knicks candidates.
So let’s just find the most fun celebrity Knicks fan we can. Spike Lee, Timothee Chalamet and Ben Stiller would all be reasonable choices. If James hopes to turn his final season into a documentary, Lee, who has won multiple awards for his documentary filmmaking, would be an obvious choice. But the selling point, first and foremost, here would be the immaculate vibes in New York following the Knicks championship run, and no celebrity fan encapsulated those vibes more than Hargitay. James is apparently making this decision based on happiness. There is no happier Knicks fan on Earth than Mariska Hargitay.
Dallas Mavericks: Kyrie Irving
James obviously played with Irving in Cleveland and the two won a championship together. He coveted a reunion while playing for the Lakers, but the Brooklyn Nets wouldn’t cooperate, sending Irving to Dallas instead. This might be their last chance to play together, so why not bring Irving on to make the case himself? Besides, Irving is responsible for perhaps the most famous moment in NBA podcasting history. On a 2017 appearance on Road Trippin’, he infamously declared that the Earth was flat. He would later apologize for those comments, but if you’re looking to create a compelling podcast, Irving is your home run swing.
Cleveland Cavaliers: Anderson Varejao
The Cavaliers appear to be the frontrunner here, but there’s no great pitchman currently on the team. Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and James Harden aren’t especially quotable. Dan Gilbert would have been the choice once upon a time, but he isn’t nearly as public a figure as he was when James previously played in Cleveland, perhaps in part due to medical issues. A member of the James family coming on to sell LeBron on going back to Cleveland where it all began would be great content, but nobody named James is offering public hints at what he might be thinking.
So let’s just lean all the way into nostalgia here. James has described Varejao as “one of my favorite teammates.” Varejao was one of the only players to play with James in both his first and second Cavaliers tenures, and he currently holds a player development and ambassador role for Cleveland. If the story here is ending his career where it began, then a former teammate from LeBron’s early career in Cleveland is probably the best move here
