LeBron James Met With Cavs Ownership, Front Office Before 76ers Contract in NBA Free Agency

During his free-agent courtship period prior to signing with the Philadelphia 76ers, LeBron James had a meeting with several members of the Cleveland Cavaliers organization.

On the latest episode of the Game Over podcast, James' agent, Rich Paul, confirmed ESPN's Shams Charania's story that James met with Cavs ownership, team president Koby Altman and assistant general manager Brandon Weems in Akron in early July.

This is notable because NBA insider Chris Haynes reported on July 6 that James himself would not be meeting with teams, but rather Paul would hear pitches from club officials and relay them to his superstar client.

The Cavs were believed to be among the primary suitors for James during his free agency. They reportedly held off on deal with James Harden to determine the structure of his contract based on whether or not James signed with Cleveland.

Even though Harden's contract still hasn't been announced, it's expected something will get done this week now that James is off the board.

Despite James not meeting with teams, he did take calls from players to discuss what he would bring to their group.

The 76ers reportedly had Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, Jaylen Brown, head coach Nick Nurse and general manager Mike Gansey contact James in the final week before he made the decision to sign with Philadelphia.

Cleveland was always a sentimental favorite for James because it would be a nice way to potentially bookend his NBA career in the place where it started, but he went in another direction with a team he presumably feels is better suited to win a title next season.

While the Cavs came up short in their pitch to James this time around, his status as the greatest player in franchise history is more than secure. His 11 seasons in Cleveland over two stints are his most with any one team in his NBA career.