Cavaliers' Kenny Atkinson admits 76ers' LeBron James choosing Philadelphia left him depressed originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The summer was all about LeBron James and his free agency decision. The 41-year-old had all eyes on him, which is why it took him some time to make his choice. He wanted to make the right decision.
There were only about six teams he was seriously considering joining, with the Philadelphia 76ers being one of them. He eventually announced that he would spend the final years of his career in Philadelphia.
“LeBron James is signing with the Philadelphia 76ers for his final run at another NBA championship, he announced Friday," ESPN's Dave McMenamin wrote. "James, 41, is signing a two-year, $8 million contract with a player option, Klutch Sports Group CEO Rich Paul told ESPN's Shams Charania."
It was a good move for James and gave him a legitimate shot at winning another championship at this stage of his career. However, Bill Simmons has made it clear that James was supposed to join the Cleveland Cavaliers and that something fell through.
“It was the decision he thought he could make to try to win a title. I don't think there's any other reason he went to [Philly]. It's not like, 'I've always wanted to play for the Sixers.' Listen, he was going to [the Cleveland Cavaliers]. I don’t know what happened. I can’t wait for the story. Something happened,” Simmons said.
On Thursday night, the 76ers pulled off a historic comeback against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Cleveland head coach Kenny Atkinson revealed that James not returning home to play for the Cavaliers left him depressed, especially because he believed James was going to join the team.
“We were anticipating and excited to land LeBron and then you have that news, having gone through free agency a lot, when you're expecting something to happen and it doesn't happen, that first day or two, you're just like, you're depressed, quite honestly. That's the emotions of it,” Atkinson told the media.
Based on Atkinson's comments, it certainly seems like James was destined to join the Cavaliers before something changed along the way. If a head coach believed the four-time NBA champion was joining his team, there was likely a good reason for that expectation.
The 76ers landing James was likely the icing on the cake for Philadelphia, as the team is expected to have a powerful roster. James leaving a coach depressed over his decision to go elsewhere shows how much he means to a team and how highly he is still regarded around the league.
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