76ers' LeBron James Says Cavs Were 'In Consideration For Sure' as NBA Free Agency Landing Spot

LeBron James says he gave "a lot of consideration" to rejoining the Cleveland Cavaliers before signing with the Philadelphia 76ers this offseason.

James was asked after the Sixers' 114-106 Thursday night comeback win over the visiting Cavaliers about a reported meeting between James and the Cleveland front office in early July.

"The nature of the meeting, I probably won't discuss much, but it was in consideration for sure," James told reporters Thursday night (h/t PHLY Sports).

"It was just a team that's trying to build towards a championship, and things of that nature, and I was trying to decide where I wanted to go with the rest of my career... a lot of consideration, for sure."

ESPN's Shams Charania initially mentioned on a July episode of agent Rich Paul's Game Over podcast James had recently met with Cavaliers president Koby Altman, general manager Brandon Weems and owners from the Gilbert family in his hometown Akron, Ohio.

Paul responded by asking how Charania knew about the meeting (h/t BasketNews).

Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson confirmed in mid-July the Cavaliers were "in the mix" to sign James.

James instead signed later that month with the Sixers on a two-year, $8 million deal with a player option.

The NBA's all-time leading scorer played two previous stints in Cleveland, including the first seven seasons of his NBA career and a return run that resulted in the franchise's first title in 2016.

After recording a double-double against the Cavs Thursday night, James is now looking to lead the Sixers, who haven't won a championship since 1983, on a similar resurgence during his first season in Philadelphia.