Cavaliers Fans Will Hate What LeBron James Just Said About His Hometown

LeBron James made waves earlier this week for his feelings about the Memphis Grizzlies. Cleveland Cavaliers fans won't like what he just said about his hometown.

Jan 28, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) defends Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) in the fourth quarter at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has taken plenty of heat from small market fans this week.

Playing golf with popular YouTuber Bob Does Sports, James expressed that he doesn’t like playing the Grizzlies in Memphis.

“I’m f****** 41 years old, you think I want to do that s*** being in Memphis on a random a** Thursday?” James joked. “I’m not like the first guy even to talk about in the NBA. Like, we all like you guys have to move. Go over to Nashville.”

At practice on Saturday, James was questioned about his viral remarks towards Memphis – and he doubled down.

"I'm 41 years old. There's two cities I do not like playing in right now. That's Milwaukee, and that's Memphis. What is the problem with that? I don't like going home either -- s***, and I'm from there."

Following this season, James will be an unrestricted free agent.

It feels like his time with the Lakers is expiring, as Los Angeles intends to build for their future around Luka Doncic. James understands that he can’t play forever, and that a retirement decision is coming soon. 

Is there any chance James will return home again this offseason?

If James decides to play one more season in the NBA, Cavaliers fans aren’t the only ones who thought that Cleveland would be the perfect destination for a final season.

According to ESPN earlier this week, the Cavs would be open to reuniting with James this summer. The Cavs are dedicated to contending for NBA Championships, getting significantly older at the NBA trade deadline by trading away Darius Garland for James Harden, who is 37.

But as James enters the sunset of his career, he’s letting his true opinions out. He doesn’t like playing in Memphis or Milwaukee. But somehow – his hometown was mentioned in that conversation as well.

On “Game Over” with Max Kellerman, LeBron’s agent, Rich Paul, echoed these exact sentiments when asked about the viral Memphis remarks.

“Guess where else LeBron don’t want to be? Akron! He’s from there! He don’t want to be there, he just outgrew it. Which is fine,” Paul said on the show.

If James doesn’t like playing basketball in Northeast Ohio, a return to the Cavaliers this summer could be difficult. However, his hometown is Akron, not Cleveland – which are separated by about 40 miles.

During his return to Rocket Arena in January, James was visibly emotional when the team played a tribute video.

Even though his comments could be difficult for diehard Clevelanders to hear, he never suggested that the Cavaliers should be moved to Columbus, similar to what he said about the Grizzlies. He never ruled out a third act with the Cavaliers. In fact, he never even expressed any displeasure towards the city of Cleveland, neither did his agent, who explicitly mentioned the city of Akron.

It’s impossible to predict what James will decide to do this summer. At the end of the day, a return to the Cavaliers might be in his best interest for his legacy and opportunity to still compete for one final NBA title.