The entire NBA community is in a standstill waiting for LeBron James to make a free agency decision.
It has been over two weeks since the 41-year-old James revealed he was leaving the Los Angeles Lakers to seek a different NBA home next season.
While James deserved time to weigh his options on which team he may play his final season(s) with, NBA commissioner Adam Silver may officially be out of patience.
“I guess all politics are local,” Silver said, per USA Today. “The way I think about it is, we have to finish up the schedule. And where LeBron plays will affect the schedule.
“So I would like him to make his announcement already, so we can finish the schedule, because, as you might imagine, the teams are calling us, the networks are calling us, and everybody wants to lock in the schedule. But it will influence how we set the schedule, how we set opening week, Christmas Day, etc. So I need him to make a decision.”
Silver’s comments were made during an interview with CNBC’s Andrew Ross Sorkin at the CNBC Sport x Boardroom Game Plan Summit in New York on Thursday.
The NBA is entering the second year of an 11-year media rights contract with The Walt Disney Company, NBCUniversal (NBCU) and Amazon under which ABC/ESPN, NBC/Peacock and Prime Video are telecasting NBA games.
The media rights contract is worth approximately $76 billion in total over the 11 years, so it is understandable why media executives are eager to start planning things around the NBA regular season schedule.
For now, though, James holds all the cards because fans are more likely to tune in if he is on the court in a compelling matchup.
James is considering a handful of teams for his next destination, per multiple reports, and happiness, not money, has been said to be guiding his decision.
A return to the Miami Heat or Cleveland Cavaliers is on the table for James; the Golden State Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers and Minnesota Timberwolves have also been mentioned as potential candidates for his services.
“There’s certain stories that I prefer over others, and even on his behalf,” Silver said. “But he’s going to be 42 this fall.”
“It’s amazing what he’s done for the sport, for the league, and he deserves exactly what — the opportunities that were presented to him to be able to make his own decision on what’s best for him and his family. So I completely respect that,” the commissioner explained.
“But, as I said, I think on behalf of the league, I think there are certain storylines that may be better than others, but I don’t want to prejudge it. Let’s see what he does.”
Silver will likely at least be waiting beyond July 17, though, as James said, “we don’t have announcement to make just yet,” during a live taping of his podcast “The Shop” in New York.
