Latest LeBron James rumors: He does not announce his decision, but says it will be soon
· Yahoo Sports
There was speculation that LeBron James would use an appearance at Fanatics Fest in New York on Thursday to announce his decision about his next destination.
No such luck.
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Tyrese Haliburton was the guest co-host for the live taping of the "Mind the Game" podcast, and Hali tried, as reported by Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
"Is there a decision that still has to be made?" Haliburton asked...
"We literally talked about this in the back, Rese," James said, reiterating that revealing his next team would not be on the agenda.
"OK, my fault, my fault," Haliburton replied. "I didn't know if you wanted to ... OK, OK, I'll leave it alone."
However, later in the day at the Boardroom Game Plan presented by CNBC Sport (also at Fanatics Fest), LeBron did say a decision is coming sooner rather than later. However, he added this is not easy and there is a lot that goes into it for him, including thinking about spending time with his now former teammate Bronny (who is staying with the Lakers, don't expect a trade), Bryce (playing his second year in college at Arizona), and his daughter, Zhuri, 11, who will stay in Los Angeles with LeBron's wife and her mother, Savannah.
"People are like, 'hurry up and make a damn decision, LeBron.' It's not just about the team," he said. "There's so many other factors that I'm factoring in right now: What best fits me as a player, what best fits me as a person, what best fits me and my happiness and also my family as well. I won't hold you guys up too much longer, but the family portion is huge for me."
LeBron later added, "It's going to be pretty fun wherever I land. I'm going to do what I do best."
The timing is good news for NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, who stepped on stage at the same Game Plan event and said LeBron is starting to hold up league business.
"We have to finish up the schedule and where LeBron plays affects the schedule..." Silver said. "It will influence how we set the schedule: Opening week, Christmas. So I need him to make a decision."
Final Pitches to LeBron
While LeBron is reportedly still talking to potential future teammates, the pitches to LeBron are pretty much done and everyone is waiting. Donovan Mitchell made his final pitch for LeBron to return to Cleveland.
“I mean it’s home, we’ve done it once, let’s do it again, simple as that,” - Donovan Mitchell on his pitch to LeBron James to return to the Cavs. pic.twitter.com/Y9fuH5on2V
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) July 16, 2026
League sources continue to tell NBC Sports that another return to Cleveland is the most likely outcome. However, other reports say Miami and Philadelphia are seriously in the mix. Golden State, and reuniting with Stephen Curry, or signing to play the four at Minnesota reportedly also are under consideration, but the reports suggest LeBron wants to win and realizes what that road looks like in the West, so he is likely headed back to the Eastern Confernece (which has the defending champions and teams that got better, but does not have the Thunder or Spurs powerhouses looming at the top).
Honestly, Pat Riley of the Heat said it best: At this point, everybody is just waiting for LeBron to announce his decision.
Pat Riley on the #Heat being in the LeBron James sweepstakes:
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) July 16, 2026
“I don't know….To be transparent about it, we've had discussions over a week ago, maybe a week before that about it, but right now I think we're like everybody else, we're just waiting to see what he does…” pic.twitter.com/f7Dn5n4Coe
When LeBron does make his decision, a lot of other dominoes are going to fall quickly, as the teams that miss out will pivot to other moves, and there will be a mini-rush of signings. However, most teams have wrapped up their business, and there is not that much left to do. What does remain waits on LeBron.