LeBron James Quiet About Future, Loud About Knicks' Jalen Brunson
One thing's for sure: the New York Knicks are involved in LeBron James' immediate future.
James and the Los Angeles Lakers have taken Manhattan to stand as the latest challenger to the Knicks' active nine-game winning streak that's tied for the longest in the NBA this season on Saturday night (8;30 p.m. ET, ABC).
The timing of the Lakers' lone yearly visit to Madison Square Garden couldn't be more curious: a new wave of speculation around James' future has surfaced as Los Angeles (25-25) struggles to keep up with the Western Conference's elite. James' representation, lauded player agent and childhood friend Rich Paul, also reportedly met with Knicks brass to smooth relations over for potential collaboration in the future.
Paul insisted to ESPN's Brian Windhorst that he and his client have no intentions of moving on from the West Coast prior to Feb. 8's trade deadline. While James himself partly fueled speculation on X, he was mum when questioned about it during an appearance at Nike's Manhattan headquarters.
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Asked about his plans for next season (which serves as a $51.4 million player option on his current contract), James simply replied "no," per Stefan Bondy of the New York Post, though he did declare that he has "had (the) thought" of donning a Knicks uniform in the past.
James has never been shy about singing MSG's praises as a game day destination and some of his finest hours have been spent between Seventh and Eighth Avenue, including a pair of 50-point games earned as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers. While James continues to stand as one of the NBA's most dangerous players (24.9 points, 7.7 assists, 7.5 rebounds in 44 appearances this season), there's no doubt that twilight is looming, as he turned 39 in December.
James' thoughts on the future should only strengthen the imaginary bond he has built with the Knicks: the four-time champion spoke highly of New York point guard Jalen Brunson, referring to the Knicks' star attraction as "phenomenal."
"(I'm) super-happy for him, super-proud of him," James said, per Bondy. "First-time All-Star, seeing his emotion after the last game, I think that’s super-cool, super-dope.”
The Lakers' arrival should only bring about a louder buzz to MSG on Saturday: Los Angeles was the victim on each of the Knicks' two title runs in 1970 and 1973. Some are beginning to believe that this year's group offers one of the most, if not the most, legitimate opportunities at a championship in recent memory.
But James was quick to warn Knicks fans of the cruelly fast-paced, swift-defeat nature of the NBA, recalling his close friend Carmelo Anthony's experience in 2012-13: Anthony led the league in scoring and guided the Knicks to 54 wins, including three against James' Miami Heat. Alas for New York, heartbreak awaited in the Eastern Conference playoffs, as they dropped a six-game set to Indiana in the semifinal series. With the Knicks gone, James took home the latter of back-to-back titles.
“Melo was here doing what Melo does, and they had that good team support around him, they were winning ballgames,” James recalled. “So it’s not the first time. I’ve been around for two decades. I’ve seen this arena buzz and the team play well.”
James has seen the Knicks "play well," but far from well enough: the Knicks' last conference finals appearance came in 2000, three years before his NBA entry with Cleveland.
