LeBron James says he once envisioned finishing his NBA career with the New York Knicks, but one major development changed his mind.
Speaking during NBA Media Day, James revealed that playing at Madison Square Garden had genuinely been part of his vision for the final chapter of his career.
“I had visions of playing in [Madison Square] Garden and finishing my career in the Garden,” James told ESPN. “One of the best places I’ve ever played.”
The Lakers star went even further in describing his admiration for the iconic New York venue, calling it the No. 1 arena in the world from a basketball player’s perspective.
But there was a problem: New York won the championship.
“I think it’s the No. 1 arena in the world, as far as a basketball player goes. But after they beat San Antonio, I was like, ‘Hey, I can’t.’ I couldn’t do it,” James said.
James explained that joining a team immediately after it had won the title would have created an enormous media storm.
“Y’all wouldn’t have let me lay that down, at all,” he said, referring to the media at large.
The four-time NBA champion still made sure to give the Knicks their flowers, praising the organization and its players while singling out Jalen Brunson.
“Much respect to the Knicks, obviously. An unbelievable team, unbelievable players. Shout out, Jalen Brunson. I love that guy; he’s unbelievable,” James said.
Instead, James is now with the Philadelphia 76ers, where he has joined Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. He also addressed the attention that comes with his arrival in Philadelphia and acknowledged that the outside noise will only get louder.
“You got to try to stay even keel,” James said. “Understand that the noise is going to be the noise. What happens outside of this building is going to consistently happen, and it’s going to be doubled and tripled and quadrupled now that I’m here. It just comes with the territory. I understand it.”
So while LeBron’s Madison Square Garden finale never became reality, his comments reveal just how seriously he had once considered making New York part of the final chapter of his career.
