There have been all sorts of reports and rumors about which way LeBron James is leaning when it comes to which NBA team he will play for next season. Many believe that if he doesn’t stay with the Los Angeles Lakers or retire, he will make his way back to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The anticipation of him possibly starting a third stint with the Cavaliers got stirred up this week when someone who claims to have owned a bakery in a Cleveland suburb called into ESPN Cleveland and said that former NBA player Charles Oakley told him something big regarding James’ future.
“Okay, listen to me,” the caller said. “I used to own Corbo’s Bakery. Charles Oakley came to my bakery all the time. He told me he’s met with Maverick Carter last week, and he told me LeBron James is 95% coming to Cleveland. And Charles Oakley and LeBron James and Maverick Carter are all good friends.”
Obviously, one has to take this with a grain of salt. But Oakley told Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson that the source is legitimate, although he seemed to backtrack a bit on what the source claimed.
“I know the guy. I mean, I guess he took something… I mean, everything looked great for him coming to Cleveland. That’s what I told him. He put it in his own words… I said it looked great. You know, he got a home here. He got a base here. He don’t have to relocate. Be able to come here for a month, go back to LA for a month. That’s all. You know what I said, but I ain’t put no number on it.”
There is certainly a feeling that it makes sense for James to end his career where it started: in Cleveland. Oakley may not be fully confident that the 41-year-old will spend next season in Northeast Ohio, but he feels James can help a Cavaliers team that clearly needs help.
“I mean, hey, he don’t owe nobody nothing. He ain’t going to Cleveland or nothing, but it’d be great if he, you know, walk off the floor in Cleveland and say that this is it… And I think that he can get Cleveland in a better place, a better space. They need the leadership. They need some guidance.”
The Cavaliers were just swept in the Eastern Conference finals by the New York Knicks, and it was ugly at times. They blew a 22-point fourth-quarter lead in Game 1, and they then closed out the series by losing Game 4 130-93 in front of their home fans. With James, the Cavs may not have won the series, but they likely wouldn’t have gotten swept, and they may have even been legitimately competitive.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Charles Oakley on rumors of LeBron James returning to Cavaliers