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LeBron James received a warm welcome from the Madison Square Garden faithful ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers’ matchup with the New York Knicks on Saturday.
Dave McMenamin @mcten
A warm NYC ovation for LeBron James as the Lakers starters are announced pic.twitter.com/bkbzHAZVZc
Rumors have begun to swirl surrounding James’ future in Los Angeles, as the Lakers entered the contest with a 25-25 record. That only represents the ninth-best mark in the Western Conference, meaning the head coach Darvin Ham’s team will have work to do in order to avoid a Play-In Tournament appearance.
James, who has a $51 million player option for the 2024-25 season, was tight-lipped when asked about his intentions regarding the option (via Spotrac). The NBA’s all-time leading scorer responded with a simple “no” when asked if he’s made his decision, according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic.
Any potential change of scenery will likely occur at the end of the season as Rich Paul, James’ agent, told ESPN’s Brian Windhorst on Friday that “we aren’t asking to be” traded ahead of the Feb. 8 deadline.
Still, the four-time MVP discussed his interest in joining the Knicks during his free agency in 2010 prior to Saturday’s contest.
“I’ve had that thought in my career,” he said, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Post.
The Knicks could be an enticing option for James if he decides to go elsewhere in the summer, as their nine-game winning streak is currently the longest in the NBA. New York is 32-17 this season, good enough for the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference.
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