LeBron James is a free agent and teams all over the country are hoping to lure him out of his home in Cleveland, Ohio.
Rumor has it that the Los Angeles Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers and the Philadelphia 76ers are the top prospects for the NBA’s best player.
Some believe he’s headed to the west coast to play for the Lakers, citing that that team may be his best hope at unseating the champion Golden State Warriors and winning several championships in years to come.
Some teams have salary caps that would prevent them from signing James, given his current $30+ million salary.
The clock is ticking…James has until June 29th to opt in to the final year of his contract in Cleveland. It’s no doubt quite a tense time for fans there once again.
The above photos are artist renderings of how they imagine the various cities would woo the superstar. They came from a project in which ESPN asked 30 artists with ties to each NBA city to imagine their team’s pitch to the free agent. Shown above from left to right are Charlotte Hornets, owned by basketball legend Michael Jordan; Golden State Warriors, the team that swept LeBron and his Cavs to take yet another championship title; the Cleveland artist decided to highlight the superstar’s family and play on the hometown vibe.
Our hometown team, the Atlanta Hawks also submitted a billboard image. The team didn’t have a great season, but Atlanta would no doubt be a great place for the James family, welcoming them with open arms.
To see the Atlanta design and the artist renderings from other cities around the country, click here.