December 9, 2023: The NBA's 1st In-Season Tournament

December 9, 2023: The Final of the NBA's 1st "In-Season Tournament" is held at the T-Mobile Arena, on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada.

NOTE: While these entries are dated 2022, I decided to backdate the posting dates of events from 2023 onward to the same date in 2022.

I've often compared English soccer's FA Cup to college basketball's NCAA Tournament, except that it preceded the NCAA Tournament by 67 years, and it runs all season long. The In-Season Tournament -- hereafter abbreviated as "IST" -- wasn't quite all season long, but it was comparable to "March Madness." November Nuthousery, and December Delirium?

The NBA introduced the Tournament for the 2023–24 season, with all games except the championship final counting towards the regular-season standings. It was structured as follows:

* Six intraconference pools of five.

* Tuesdays and Fridays during November featured group games against each of the other teams in their pool, 2 at home and 2 on the road. These games still counted as regular season games.

* The winners of each pool, and two wild-card teams, advanced to a single-elimination tournament.

* The Semifinals and Final were to be played in Las Vegas. (Well, in the suburbs of Las Vegas.)

* Players for the Tournament Champion will each receive $500,000.

* To compensate, the NBA's regular season scheduling formula was modified, so only 80 games for each team are initially announced during the offseason. The 1st 2 rounds of the in-season tournament would then count as regular-season games 81 and 82. The Championship Game would then be an extra 83rd game that would not count toward the regular season.

* Teams that did not qualify for the in-season tournament knockout round, or were eliminated in the quarterfinals, would then be scheduled additional games against each other that are eliminated in the same conference (if possible) and round to reach 82 games.

The Tournament began on November 3. In the East, the Groups were won by the Indiana Pacers, the Milwaukee Bucks and the Boston Celtics. In the West, it was the Los Angeles Lakers, the New Orleans Pelicans and the Sacramento Kings. The New York Knicks from the East and the Phoenix Suns from the West qualified for the Knockout Stage as the remaining teams with the best records.

Despite accusations that the IST was just a money grab for the NBA, and that the hyper-decorated courts were a bad look, it was an overwhelming success, in both attendance and television viewership. And the quality of play was considered excellent.

Two games of the Quarterfinals were held on December 4: The Pacers beat the Celtics, 122-112 at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis; and the Pelicans beat the Kings, 127-117 at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. The other 2 Quarterfinals were held on December 5: The Bucks beat the Knicks, 146-122 at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, with Julius Randle scoring 41 in defeat but Giannis Antetokounmpo scoring 35; and the Lakers beating the Suns, 106-103 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

The Semifinals were held on December 7. The Pacers beat the Bucks, 128-119 in Milwaukee, and the Lakers clobbered the Pelicans, 133-89 in Los Angeles. Having covered that game for ESPN, Michael Wilbon said this while co-hosting the network's Pardon the Interruption the following night:

LeBron wants his name on that hardware, the first one! So, guess what? Russell's name can't be on it. Magic's name, Bird's name, Jordan's name, Isiah, none of their names, Hakeem, none of their names are on it. Not Kobe. His name is gonna be on it, 'cause they're gonna beat Indiana, and they're gonna beat 'em convincingly. So his will to win is what matters... The fact that he wants it is what matters.

Wilbon had a point: Pretty much everything else that can be done in the NBA, LeBron had already done: Winning the Championship, leading the league in scoring, winning the Most Valuable Player award in the regular season, winning it in the All-Star Game, winning it in the Finals. Winning this tournament, leading a team to victory in it, is something that nobody had ever done before.

In that Final, the Pacers hung with the Lakers most of the way, getting within 4 points in the 4th quarter. But the Lakers pulled away, and won, 123-109. Anthony Davis was the star of the Final, scoring 41 points. But the MVP award was for the entire Tournament, and, of course, it went to LeBron.

UPDATE: In 2024, the tournament was renamed the Emirates NBA Cup, sponsored by Emirates Airways, the airline owned by the royal family of the United Arab Emirates. In 2024, the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Final.

*

December 9, 2023 was a Saturday. This was also the day that "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" hit Number 1 on Billboard magazine's Hot 100, making Brenda Lee, at age 78, the oldest singer ever to have a Number 1 hit. I have a separate entry for that event.

This was the only NBA game scheduled for the day. Baseball was in the off-season, although this was the day on which the Los Angeles Dodgers signed Shohei Ohtani to the biggest contract in North American sports history to that point, $700 million over 10 years. One college football game was played: Army beat Navy, 17-11 at Gillette Stadium in the Boston suburb of Foxborough, Massachusetts.

There were 12 games played in the NHL:

* The New York Rangers lost to the Washington Capitals, 4-0 at the Capital One Arena in Washington.

* The New York Islanders beat the Los Angeles Kings, 3-2 at the UBS Arena in Elmont, Long Island, New York. Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored the winning goal, 13 seconds into overtime.

* The New Jersey Devils beat the Calgary Flames, 4-2 at the Saddledome in Calgary.

* The Boston Bruins beat the Arizona Coyotes, 5-3 at the TD Garden in Boston.

* The Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Nashville Predators, 4-0 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.

* The Montreal Canadiens beat the Buffalo Sabres, 3-2 in a shootout at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo.

* The Ottawa Senators beat the Detroit Red Wings, 5-1 at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.

* The Chicago Blackhawks beat the St. Louis Blues, 3-1 at the United Center in Chicago.

* The Vegas Golden Knights beat the Dallas Stars, 6-1 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.

* The Philadelphia Flyers beat the Colorado Avalanche, 5-2 at the Ball Arena in Denver.

* The Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Seattle Kraken, 4-3 at the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. Nikita Kucherov scored the winning goal with 1:48 left in overtime.

* And the Vancouver Canucks beat the Carolina Hurricanes, 4-3 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver.

In American soccer, the MLS Cup Final was played: The Columbus Crew beat Los Angeles F.C., 2-1 at Lower.com Field in Columbus, Ohio. And in English soccer, Arsenal F.C., the North London team I support, lost to Aston Villa, 1-0 at Villa Park in Birmingham, West Midlands.

October 11, 2020: Celtics 17, Lakers 17

Pictured: Not "social distancing."

October 11, 2020: The Los Angeles Lakers clinch the NBA Championship, beating the Miami Heat, 106-93 in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, at the COVID-19-forced neutral site -- the "bubble," where the entire NBA Playoffs were held, in front of no paying fans -- of the AdventHealth Arena in the Orlando suburb of Bay Lake, Florida.

It was the 4th NBA Championship, and the 4th Bill Russell Award for the Most Valuable Player of the Finals, for the 3rd different team, for LeBron James. He had previously won with the Heat in 2012 and 2013, and with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016. Of course, he had engineered his shift to the Lakers, after abandoning the Cavs for the 2nd time after the 2018 Finals. There was no bitterness that time, because he had finally won them a title.

It was also the 4th title for 40-year-old Udonis Haslem, who was LeBron's teammate on the 2012 and '13 Heat, and who also won with the Heat in 2006. It's the 3rd title for Danny Green, who beat LeBron, Udonis and the Heat in the '14 Finals for the San Antonio Spurs, and won in 2019 with the Toronto Raptors. It was also the 3rd title for JaVale McGee, who beat LeBron's Cavs with the 2017 and '18 Golden State Warriors.

It was the 2nd title for 4-time All-Star Rajon Rondo, who previously won with the 2008 Boston Celtics. It was the 2nd title for Quinn Cook, who was on the '18 Warriors. And it was the 2nd title for J.R. Smith, the Lakewood, New Jersey native who won with LeBron and the '16 Cavs, but was a target of ridicule for his mistake in the '17 Finals.

It was the 1st title, at any level, for the Lakers' head coach, Frank Vogel. It was also the 1st title for 34-year-old 8-time All-Star Dwight Howard, 27-year-old 7-time All-Star Anthony Davis, 35-year-old never All-Star Jared Dudley, 30-year-old never All-Star Markieff Morris, and for Kostas Antetokounmpo, younger brother of 4-time Milwaukee Bucks All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo, who had yet to reach an NBA Finals. (He won it all the next year.)

Rondo became the 1st player ever to win titles with both the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers. Clyde Lovellette had won titles with the Celtics and the Minneapolis Lakers.

McGee and Quinn Cook joined Jamaal Wilkes as the only players to win titles with both the Lakers and the Warriors, regardless of what cities those franchises played in. (The Warriors played in Philadelphia from 1946 to 1962, and the Lakers in Minneapolis from 1947 to 1960.)

LeBron and Danny Green (2014 Spurs and 2019 Raptors) joined John Salley (1989 and '90 Pistons, 1996 Bulls, 2000 Lakers) and Robert Horry (1994 & '95 Houston Rockets; 2000, '01 & '02 Lakers; 2005 & '07 San Antonio Spurs) as the only players to win titles with 3 different teams. Haslem joined Salley and Tim Duncan (1999, 2003, '05, '07 and '14 Spurs) as the only players to win NBA titles in 3 different decades.

Rondo joined A.C. Green as the only players to win an NBA title in one decade, not win one in the next, and then win one in the next. His 12-year gap between titles exceeded Green's 11-year gap (1988-2000), and was 2nd all-time only to that of Sam Cassell, his teammate on the '08 Celtics, who had also won with the 1995 Houston Rockets, 13 years earlier.

Finally, in this, the NBA's 74th and longest season, the Lakers tied the Celtics for the most NBA Championships, 17:

* Celtics: 1957, '59, '60, '61, '62, '63, '64, '65, '66, '68, '69, '74, '76, '81, '84, '86 and 2008.

* Lakers: 1949, '50, '52, '53, '54, '72, '80, '82, '85, '87, '88, '2000, '01, '02, '08, '09 and 2020.

Meaning that 2 franchises have won 34 of the 74 NBA Championships, or 46 percent of them. Throw in the 6 titles won by the Warriors, the 6 won by and the Bulls, and the 5 won by the Spurs, and that's 5 teams winning 69 percent of the titles.

For comparison's sake, here was the ratios of the top 5 teams in the other 3 sports at that time:

* MLB, starting with the 1st World Series in 1903: Yankees 27, Cardinals 11, Red Sox 10, Athletics 9, Giants 8. That's 65 out of 117, or 55 percent. So, even with the old domination by the Yankees, the MLB was more equitable than the NBA.

* NFL, starting in 1920: Packers 13, Bears 9, Giants 8, Steelers 6, Patriots 6. That's 42 out of 100, or 42 percent.

* NHL, starting with the 1st Stanley Cup won by a current team, 1916: Canadiens 24, Maple Leafs 13, Red Wings 11, Bruins 6 and Blackhawks 6. That's 60 out of 103, or 58 percent.

Of course, the 1st 5 Laker titles came in Minneapolis, so, really, the Celtics still led, 17-12. The next-closest teams were the Bulls with 6 and the Spurs with 5.

And the Lakers and Celtics have faced each other in more NBA Finals than any other matchup, 12: The Celtics winning in 1959, '62, '63, '65, '66, '68, '69, '84 and 2008; and the Lakers winning in 1985, '87 and 2009.

James and Davis were named to the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team a year later.

However, this was, without question, the most asterisk-worthy title in NBA history. It was unlike any other season, and any other Playoffs. There wasn't home-court advantage for anyone. From 2008 to 2012, including their 2010 title, the Lakers won 5 straight Division titles. In the 10 years after that, here is where they finished in the Western Conference: 7th, 14th, 14th, 15th, 14th, 11th, 10th, 1st (the 2020 title), 7th, 11th.

The end of the Kobe Bryant era was bad, which, due to age and other attrition, was understandable. But the LeBron era has been crowned by that asterisk-worthy title. By Laker standards, which means multiple titles, this period has been a failure, every bit as much as their Wilt Chamberlain era, where, in 5 seasons, they made 4 Finals but only won 1 title.

And, unlike Wilt, LeBron has been, effective, all of these things for the Lakers: Best all-around player, best scorer, best passer, head coach, general manager and chief scout. No one player, in any sport, has ever had that much power over a team. Perhaps none ever should again.

UPDATE: The Lakers again finished 7th in 2023 and 2024. The Bubble Season aside, they have not made the Finals since 2010. And the Celtics won an 18th title in 2024.

*

October 11, 2020 was a Sunday. The NHL had also decided its title later than usual, on September 28, with the Tampa Bay Lightning winning the Stanley Cup, beating the Dallas Stars in 6 games.

Baseball's postseason was also in progress, and "in a bubble." Or, rather, 2 bubbles: Petco Park in San Diego, a National League ballpark, for the American League Playoffs; and Globe Life Field in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas, an AL ballpark, for the NL Playoffs.

There was 1 game on this day, Game 1 of the AL Championship Series, at Petco. The Tampa Bay Rays beat the Houston Astros, 2-1. Blake Snell outpitched Framber Valdez. Randy Arozarena hit a home run. The Rays went on to win the series in 7 games, but lost the World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

And these NFL games were played:

* The New York Giants lost to the Dallas Cowboys, 37-34 at AT&T Stadium in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas.

* The New York Jets lost to the Arizona Cardinals, 30-10 at State Farm Stadium in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale, Arizona.

* The Baltimore Ravens beat the Cincinnati Bengals, 27-3 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.

* The Los Angeles Rams beat the Washington Football Team, 30-10 at FedEx Field (now Northwest Stadium) in the Washington suburb of Landover, Maryland. This game marked the return of Washington quarterback Alex Smith from an injury that nearly killed him 2 years earlier. I have a separate entry for this event.

* The Carolina Panthers beat the Atlanta Falcons, 23-16 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

* The Houston Texans beat the Jacksonville Jaguars, 30-14 at NRG Stadium (as Reliant Stadium was then known) in Houston.

* The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Philadelphia Eagles, 38-29 at Heinz Field (now Acrisure Stadium) in Pittsburgh.

* The Cleveland Browns beat the Indianapolis Colts, 32-23 at FirstEnergy Stadium (now named Huntington Bank Field) in Cleveland.

* The Las Vegas Raiders beat the Kansas City Chiefs, 40-32 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.

* The Miami Dolphins beat the San Francisco 49ers, 43-17 at Levi's Stadium in the San Francisco suburb of Santa Clara, California.

* The Seattle Seahawks beat the Minnesota Vikings, 27-26 at Lumen Field in Seattle.

* The preceding Thursday, the Chicago Bears beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 20-19 at the new Soldier Field in Chicago.

* The next night, on ESPN Monday Night Football, the New Orleans Saints beat the Los Angeles Chargers, 30-27 at the Superdome in New Orleans.

* Pushed back to Tuesday night due to COVID reasons, the Tennessee Titans beat the Buffalo Bills, 42-16 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.

* And the Denver Broncos, the Detroit Lions, the Green Bay Packers and the New England Patriots had a bye week.

September 23, 2017: LeBron James Calls Donald Trump "U bum"

September 23, 2017: Donald Trump went on Twitter, and tweeted about whether the recently-crowned NBA Champion Golden State Warriors would come to the White House for an official celebration. In this case, and in the response, I have not corrected either spelling, or grammar, or punctuation from the original.

First, the Warriors' on-floor leader, Steph Curry, said this:

We don't stand for basically what our president has, the things that he's said and the things that he hasn't said at the right times, that we won't stand for it. By acting and not going, hopefully that will inspire some change when it comes to what we tolerate in this country, what is accepted and what we turn a blind eye toward. It's not just the act of not going. There are things you have to do in the back end that you have to push that message into motion.

To this, Trump said, "Going to the White House is considered a great honor for a championship team.Stephen Curry is hesitating,therefore invitation is withdrawn!"

LeBron James, whose Cleveland Cavaliers had beaten by the Warriors, had beaten them the year before, and had been beaten by the Warriors the year before that, tweeted back what Warriors captain Steph Curry had already said:

U bum @StephenCurry30 already said he ain't going! So therefore ain't no invite. Going to White House was a great honor until you showed up!

Recently-retired Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant also spoke up: "A #POTUS whose name alone creates division and anger. Whose words inspire dissension and hatred can't possibly "Make America Great Again""

Chris Paul, then with the Houston Rockets, weighed in: "With everything that's going on in our country, why are YOU focused on who's kneeling and visiting the White House??? #StayInYoLane"

In 1990, Michael Jordan, still a resident of North Carolina, refused to endorse Harvey Gantt, Mayor of Charlotte and the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate against bigoted Republican incumbent Jesse Helms. Why? He said, "Republicans buy sneakers, too."

With this tweet, his support of Colin Kaepernick, and his wearing of an "I CAN'T BREATHE" T-shirt during a pregame warmup, LeBron decided that he didn't give a damn whether Republicans bought sneakers too: This was more important than personal profit.

No, LeBron James will never be a better, or a more-achieved, basketball player than Michael Jordan. But he's a better American, and a better man.

*

September 23, 2017 was a Saturday. This was also the day that a scheduling conflict forced New York City FC to move their Major League Soccer match with the Houston Dynamo to a neutral site, which turned out to be Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Connecticut, a whopping 115 miles from Midtown Manhattan. The game ended in a 1-1 draw. I have a separate entry for that event.

These Major League Baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 5-1 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto. Sonny Gray was the winning pitcher. Greg Bird and Todd Frazier hit home runs. Aaron Judge went 1-for-4.

* The New York Mets lost to the Washington Nationals, 4-3 at Citi Field. Noah Syndergaard had to leave the game with an injury after only 1 inning. Matt Harvey, scheduled to start the next night, came in on short rest, and allowed 3 runs in 4 innings. Former Met Daniel Murphy led off the top of the 10th inning with a home run.

* The Tampa Bay Rays beat the Baltimore Orioles, 9-6 at Camden Yards in Baltimore.

* The Atlanta Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 4-2 at SunTrust Park (now Truist Park) in the Atlanta suburb of Cumberland, Georgia.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 11-6 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Cincinnati Reds, 5-0 at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. Eduardo Rodríguez pitched 7 2/3rds innings of 3-hit shutout ball, and Carson Smith and Joe Kelly completed the 3-hit shutout.

* The Minnesota Twins beat the Detroit Tigers, 10-4 at Comerica Park in Detroit.

* The Kansas City Royals beat the Chicago White Sox, 8-2 at Guaranteed Rate Field (now Rate Field) in Chicago.

* The Milwaukee Brewers beat their arch-rivals, the Chicago Cubs, 4-3 at Miller Park (now American Family Field) in Milwaukee. Travis Shaw hit a home run in the bottom of the 10th inning.

* The Houston Astros beat the Los Angeles Angels, 6-2 at Minute Maid Park (now Daikin Park) in Houston.

* The Miami Marlins beat the Arizona Diamondbacks, 12-6 at Chase Field in Phoenix.

* The San Diego Padres beat the Colorado Rockies, 5-0 at Petco Park in San Diego. Jhoulys Chacín pitched 6 innings of 1-hit shutout ball, and 4 relievers completed a 5-hit shutout.

* The San Francisco Giants beat their arch-rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers, 2-1 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Madison Bumgarner outpitched Hyn-jin Ryu. Denard Spain went 3-for-4 with an RBI.

* The Oakland Athletics beat the Texas Rangers, 1-0 at the Oakland Coliseum. Raúl Alcántara pitched 5 innings of 2-hit shutout ball, and 4 relievers completed a 4-hit shutout. The only run came when Khris Davis led off the bottom of the 2nd inning with a home run.

* And the Cleveland Indians beat the Seattle Mariners, 11-4 at Safeco Field (now T-Mobile Park) in Seattle.

Among the college football games played that day were these:

* Number 1 Alabama beat Vanderbilt, 59-0 at Vanderbilt Stadium (now FirstBank Stadium) in Nashville.

* Number 2 Clemson beat Boston College, 34-7 at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina.

* Number 3 Oklahoma beat Baylor, 49-41 at McLane Stadium in Waco, Texas.

* Number 4 Penn State beat Iowa, 21-19 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa.

* Number 5 University of Southern California (USC) beat the University of California, 30-20 at California Memorial Stadium, Berkeley.

* Number 6 Oklahoma State were upset by Number 16 Texas Christian University (TCU), 44-31 at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

* Number 7 Washington beat Colorado, 37-10 at Folsom Field in the Denver suburb of Boulder, Colorado.

* Number 8 Michigan beat Purdue, 28-10 at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana.

* Number 9 Wisconsin were idle.

* Number 10 Ohio State beat the University of Nevada at Las Vegas (UNLV), 54-21 at Ohio Stadium in Columbus.

* In an all-Top 20 matchup, Number 11 Georgia beat Number 17 Mississippi State, 31-3 at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia.

* Number 12 Florida State were upset by North Carolina State, 27-12 at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida.

* In a rivalry game, Duke beat North Carolina, 27-17 at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

* Notre Dame beat Michigan State, 38-18 at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan.

* Among the service academies, Army lost to Tulane, 21-17 at Yulman Stadium in New Orelans; Navy beat Cincinnati, 42-32 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland; and Air Force lost to Number 22 San Diego State, 28-24 at Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

* And New Jersey's team, Rutgers, lost to Nebraska, 27-17 at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska.

And in New Jersey high school football, my Alma Mater, East Brunswick, lost to neighboring Monroe, 21-19 at Hugh Walsh Field in Monroe.

July 8, 2010: "The Decision" Airs On ESPN

July 8, 2010: The Decision airs on ESPN. LeBron James had played out his contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Where would he go? The New York Knicks? The Chicago Bulls? The Los Angeles Lakers? Surely, it would be one of the big-market teams.

(The idea that he would go to one of the "little brother franchises," the soon-to-be Brooklyn Nets or the Los Angeles Clippers, was ludicrous. Thanks to Kyrie Irving with the former and Kawhi Leonard with the latter, it is not ludicrous anymore.)

But there was also talk that he would join Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat to form a "superteam." And, yes, Miami is a big market, if not as big as New York, Los Angeles or Chicago.

ESPN reporter Jim Gray pitched the idea of a show covering James' choice to the network. Interviewing James himself, it was essentially the pregame show for the next phase of James' career. He said, "In this Fall, I'm going to take my talents to South Beach, and join the Miami Heat."

Heat fans -- the ones who supported the team before this, and soon found themselves outnumbered by people who were merely LeBron fans -- were ecstatic. Everybody else felt betrayed:

* Knick fans couldn't figure out why he wouldn't want to play in New York, "The Greatest City in the World," in Madison Square Garden, "The World's Most Famous Arena." (James Dolan was running the Knicks, that's why.)

* Bulls fans couldn't figure out why he wouldn't want to play on the team of Michael Jordan. (Jordan's shadow, maybe? After all, everything LeBron had done, and has gone on to do, has been measured against Jordan's career and life. Or maybe the Ohio native was just tired of the cold Midwestern weather.)

* Laker fans couldn't figure out why he didn't want to play for, if not the historically most successful (2nd only to the Boston Celtics), then certainly the most glamorous franchise in the NBA.

Did it work? Sort of: LeBron was with the Heat for 4 seasons, and reached the NBA Finals all 4 times -- but only won 2 of them. Then he finished that contract, and went back to the Cavs, and led them to the Finals 4 straight times, all against the Golden State Warriors, but only won 1 of them -- but it was still the title they had waited the team's entire existence for. Then he finished that contract, and went to the Lakers, leading them to a title in 2020, but that was in a COVID-interrupted season and an entire Playoffs in a "bubble," so Laker haters tend to put an asterisk on it. Otherwise, with the Lakers, he has fallen short.

The Decision showed that, unlike every other league, the NBA was now player-driven, not coach-driven, owner-driven, or even TV-driven. LeBron was driving TV. He had become the most influential figure in the league, more so than Commissioner David Stern and his eventual replacement, Adam Silver. The NBA was now The LeBron Show, with hundreds of supporting characters.

*

July 8, 2010 was a Thursday. These Major League Baseball games were played that day:

* The New York Yankees beat the Seattle Mariners, 3-1 at Safeco Field (now T-Mobile Park) in Seattle. The Yankees trailed 1-0 going into the 8th inning, but tied it, and won it in the 9th on a 2-run single by Alex Rodriguez against the team with whom he came up. This made a winning pitcher out of Andy Pettitte.

* The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Cincinnati Reds, 4-3 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Brian Schneider won it with a home run in the bottom of the 12th.

* The San Diego Padres beat the Washington Nationals, 9-1 at Nationals Park in Washington.

* The Tampa Bay Rays beat the Cleveland Indians, 5-2 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg.

* The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Minnesota Twins, 8-1 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto.

* The Baltimore Orioles beat the Texas Rangers, 6-4 at Rangers Ballpark (now Choctaw Stadium) in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas.

* The Houston Astros beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 2-0 at Minute Maid Park (now Daikin Park) in Houston. Roy Oswalt allowed a single to Neil Walker in the 1st inning, and no more hits the rest of the way, although he walked 2 batters and hit another. Lance Berkman provided all the scoring with 2 solo home runs for the Astros.

* The Chicago White Sox beat the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, 1-0 at U.S. Cellular Field (now Guaranteed Rate Field) in Chicago. The only run of the game came on a sacrifice fly by Paul Konerko in the bottom of the 1st inning. John Danks pitched a 2-hit shutout.

* The San Francisco Giants beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 9-3 at Miller Park (now American Family Field) in Milwaukee.

* The Colorado Rockies beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 4-2 at Coors Field in Denver.

* The Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Florida Marlins, 10-4 at Chase Field in Phoenix.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Chicago Cubs, 3-2 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

* And the New York Mets, the Atlanta Braves, the Boston Red Sox, the Detroit Tigers, the Kansas City Royals and the Oakland Athletics were not scheduled to play.

The 2010 World Cup was also nearing its conclusion in South Africa. The Semifinals had been held: On July 6 in Cape Town, the Netherlands beat Uruguay, 3-2; and on July 7 in Durban, Spain beat Germany, 1-0. In the Final on July 11, Spain beat the Netherlands, 1-0 in extra time in Johannesburg.

June 21, 2012: LeBron Gets His Ring

Dwyane Wade (left) and LeBron James

June 21, 2012: LeBron James, the most-hyped basketball player of all time, gets his validation as an all-time great confirmed, by winning his 1st NBA Championship.

He had been hyped since high school in Akron, Ohio. He was hyped from there to his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers, without having attended a single college class. He got them to the Finals in 4 years. But after 7 years, and only 1 Finals appearance, his contract had run out, and he asked team owner Dan Gilbert to bring in new players that he could lead to an NBA Championship. Gilbert did not give him that assurance, and so James made "The Decision": "I'm taking my talents to South Beach."

He went to the Miami Heat, who already had Dwyane Wade, who had led them to the title in 2006. They brought in Chris Bosh, Juwan Howard, Shane Battier, Udonis Haslem and Eddy Curry. LeBron knew that Wade was The Man in Miami, but, unlike Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles, he didn't have to be The Man: He wanted a title, not recognition as the leader.

The Heat won the Eastern Conference title in 2011, but were beaten in the NBA Finals by the veteran San Antonio Spurs. In 2012, they got back to the Finals, this time against the Oklahoma City Thunder, making their 1st Finals appearance since 1996, when the franchise was the Seattle SuperSonics. The Thunder were no slouches, as they had Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Kendrick Perkins, Nick Collison, Nazr Mohammed, Reggie Jackson (no relation to the Baseball Hall-of-Famer of the same name) and the veteran Derek Fisher, in his 8th NBA Finals, having won 5 of them.

In 1991, in winning his 1st title, Michael Jordan saw his Chicago Bulls lose Game 1, but he took over, and led them to win the next 4 straight. This would also happen to LeBron in 2012. The Thunder won Game 1 in Oklahoma city, 105-94, Durant scored 36, James 30. But the Heat took home-court advantage away in Game 2, 100-96. James and Durant each scored 32.

The series moved to Miami, and Games 3 and 4 were close, 91-85 and 104-98, respectively. Westbrook scored 43 points in Game 4, one of the best performances ever in an NBA Finals defeat. Game 5, at the American Airlines Arena (now named the Kaseya Center) was a coronation, as the Heat won, 121-106. Durant scored 32, James 26, but a 36-22 3rd quarter gave the Heat the advantage, and eventually the title.

LeBron had his title, and his ring. He then led the U.S. team to the Gold Medal at the Olympic Games in London. Sports Illustrated named him its Sportsperson of the Year.

He led the Heat to the title again in 2013, beating the Spurs in 7 games. But the following year, the Spurs beat the Heat in 5 games, ending LeBron's tenure in Miami. In hindsight, the long LeBron Era can be broken up into halves: The 1st half being the Tim Duncan Era (2003-14), the 2nd half being the Steph Curry Era (afterward).

James would get a 3rd title, in 2016, having returned to the Cavaliers; and a 4th, with the Los Angeles Lakers, in 2020.

UPDATE: The Heat do not yet have a team Hall of Fame, but they have retired some uniform numbers. From their founding era, they have retired 10 for guard Tim Hardaway Sr. From their 2006 NBA Championship, they have retired 3 for guard Dwyane Wade, 32 for center Shaquille O'Neal, 33 for forward Alonzo Mourning, and 40 for forward Udonis Haslem. From their 2012 and 2013 NBA Championships, in addition to holdovers Wade and Haslem, they have retired 1 for forward Chris Bosh.

As yet, they have not retired 6 for LeBron James, probably due to the fact that he is still an active player. But they have retired 23 for Michael Jordan -- not because he had anything to do with their team, but for overall contributions to basketball. And 6 has been retired by the entire league for Bill Russell.

Hardaway and Mourning have been elected to the Florida Sports Hall of Fame. James and Wade were named to the NBA's 75th Anniversary 75 Greatest Players. So was Ray Allen, who joined the team for the next season, winning that season's title. For the Thunder, Durant, Westbrook and Harden were named to it.

*

June 21, 2012 was a Thursday. The Stanley Cup Finals had ended 10 days earlier, as the Los Angeles Kings defeated the New Jersey Devils, to my chagrin, in 6 games. Football was out of season. These games were played in Major League Baseball:

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Miami Marlins, 6-5 at Fenway Park in Boston.

* The Colorado Rockies beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 4-1 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Chris Nelson and Wilin Rosario hit home runs for the Rox, while Jimmy Rollins did so for the Phils.

* The Washington Nationals beat the Tampa Bay Rays, 5-2 at Nationals Park in Washington.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Minnesota Twins, 9-1 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 2-1 at Comerica Park in Detroit. Quintin Berry singled Ramón Santiago home with the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning.

* And the Oakland Athletics beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 4-1 at the O.co Coliseum (as the Oakland Coliseum was then known). Travis Blackley had been level with Clayton Kershaw for 8 innings. Cliché Alert: Walks can kill you, especially the leadoff variety. Josh Lindblom relieved Kershaw, and started the bottom of the 9th by walking Coco Crisp. Jemile Weeks singled, and Yoenis Céspedes hit a 3-run home run off Josh Lindblom, to make a winning pitcher out of Ryan Cook.

June 19, 2016: "Believeland" Beats 73-9

June 19, 2016: This was the 2nd of 4 straight seasons in which the Golden State Warriors faced the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. It was also the season in which the Warriors set a new NBA record for wins in a season, going 73-9.

It was the 1 of the 4 Finals that the Warriors lost.

In 1967, the Philadelphia 76ers set a new record for wins in an NBA regular season: 68. In 1972, the Los Angeles Lakers broke it, with 69. In 1996, the Chicago Bulls broke that, with 72. And all 3 of them won the NBA Championship.

In 2016, the Warriors, defending NBA Champions, won 73. With Steve Kerr coaching Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala and Klay Thompson, all of them probably headed for the Basketball Hall of Fame, it seemed like no one could stop them.

Certainly not the Cleveland Cavaliers, whom they beat in the previous year's Finals. LeBron James had abandoned them -- or been chased out, depending on who you believe -- after the 2010 season, having played 7 seasons and led them to a single Finals, in 2007. With the Miami Heat, he played 4 seasons, reached the Finals every year, and won in 2012 and 2013.

For Cleveland, and for Northern Ohio, there had not been a World Championship in any sport since the Browns won the 1964 NFL Championship -- effectively, Super Bowl -II. The Browns had lost the NFL Championship Game in 1965, '68 and '69; and the AFC Championship Game in the seasons of 1986, '87 and '89.

The Indians (who became the Guardians in 2022) hadn't won a World Series since 1948, or a Pennant since 1954, or even been in a Pennant race since 1959, before winning the American League Pennant in 1995 and 1997, losing the World Series both times. They also reached the AL Championship Series in 1998 and 2007, but lost both times.

The Cavaliers reached the NBA Eastern Conference Finals in 1976 and 1992, before Akron, Ohio native LeBron arrived in 2003. He led them to the NBA Finals in 2007, but lost to the San Antonio Spurs. They never seemed to give him enough supporting players, and so he left, winning titles in Miami, before coming home to new Cavs ownership, to try again.

He got them to the Finals in 2015, but the Warriors won. And when the Warriors jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the 2016 Finals -- winning Game 1, 104-89; winning Game 2, 110-77; losing Game 3, 120-90; and winning Game 4, 108-97 -- it looked bad for LeBron.

But the Cavs won Game 5 in Oakland, 112-97. They won Game 6 in Cleveland, 115-101. It all came down to a Game 7 in Oakland. The host Warriors should have won.

The day before, The day before Game 7, Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue took his players to the famous San Quentin Prison in Marin County, north of San Francisco. He showed them the now-retired electric chair, and Lue told them, "That's pressure, not a Game 7."

Game 7 was close, with 20 lead changes and 11 ties. It was the only game in the series to have a final margin of fewer than 10 points. At halftime, the Warriors led 49–42. But they failed to score a basket during the last 4:39 of the game.

With the score tied at 89, and 1:50 remaining in regulation, LeBron delivered what became known as "The Block," on a layup attempt by Andre Iguodala. Kyrie Irving made a 3-point field goal over Stephen Curry to give Cleveland a 92–89 lead with 53 seconds left.

Kevin Love forced Curry into a contested three-pointer, which he missed. LeBron made 1 of 2 free throws, putting them 4 points ahead with only 10.6 seconds left. The Cavaliers fouled Draymond Green with 6.5 seconds remaining. Curry and Marreese Speights each missed a 3, and time expired.

LeBron led all Cavaliers with 27 points and became only the 3rd player ever in NBA history to record a triple-double in an NBA Finals Game 7, with 27 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds. Lue, a reserve guard on the 2000 and 2001 Lakers, became the 14th person to win an NBA Championship as a player and as a head coach.

(The other 2 players with a triple-double in an NBA Finals Game 7 were Lakers. In 1969, Jerry West lived up to his nickname, "Mr. Clutch": He had 42 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists, but the Lakers lost to the Boston Celtics, anyway. In 1988, James Worthy lived up to his nickname, "Big Game James": He had 36 points 16 rebounds and 10 assists, and the Lakers beat the Detroit Pistons.)

The Cavaliers became the first team in NBA history to come back from a 3–1 series deficit to win the NBA Finals. They became the 1st NBA Champion to clinch all their playoff series on the road since the 1999 San Antonio Spurs, and the 1st road team to win a Finals Game 7 since the 1978 Washington Bullets.

The Cavaliers won their 1st championship in franchise history, in their 46th season. What's more, it ended a 52-year major league sports championship drought for Northern Ohio, since the Cleveland Browns won the 1964 NFL Championship. It was the 1st World Championship for any Ohio team since the Cincinnati Reds won the 1990 World Series, almost 36 years.

For Cleveland, and for Northern Ohio, all was forgiven with LeBron. "Believeland" had believed in him, and he had rewarded that belief. This remains the only NBA Finals in which a single player has led both teams in points, assists, steals, and blocks. A parade was held, ending in a ceremony at City Hall, attended by Jim Brown of the 1964 Browns.

For the 2nd time, Sports Illustrated named LeBron its Sportsperson of the Year. He would receive a 3rd award in 2020, as part of a group of athletes involved with COVID-related charities.

Was there a carryover of the effects of this Finals? Not really: The Warriors got up and beat the Cavs in the Finals in 2017 and '18. The Indians got to extra innings of Game 7 of the World Series in 2016, as they had in 1997 -- but, as in that season, they lost. And it took the Browns until 2020 to make the Playoffs again.

LeBron ended up going to 8 straight NBA Finals, 9 in 10 years, and 10 in 14. But it was a mixed record: He won with the Heat in 2012 and '13, with the Cavs in 2016, and with the Lakers in 2020; but he lost with the Cavs in 2007, '15, '17 and '18, and with the Heat in 2011 and '14. He went 4-6 in Finals. compare that to Bill Russell, 11-1; Wilt Chamberlain, 2-4; John Havlicek, 7-0; Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 6-4; Magic Johnson, 5-4; Michael Jordan, 6-0; Shaquille O'Neal, 4-2; Kobe Bryant, 5-2; Tim Duncan, 5-1; and Curry, 4-2.

LeBron may be the NBA's all-time leading scorer. And he may have been named to the NBA's 75th Anniversary 75 Greatest Players, although they were not ranked, 1 to 75. And, as the de facto (if not official) head coach and general manager of the Lakers, one of the most successful teams in any sport, he might be the most powerful single player in the history of North American sports.

But the "GOAT" -- Greatest Of All Time? Not by a long shot.

UPDATE: The Cavaliers have a Wall of Honor. From the 1970s, they have honored founding owner Nick Mileti, original coach Bll Fitch; guards Bobby "Bingo" Smith and Austin Carr; forwards John Johnson, Michael Campanella "Campy" Russell and Mike Mitchell; and centers Jim Chones and Nate Thurmond. From the 1980s, they have honored guard Lloyd "World B." Free.

From the 1990s, they have honored owner Gordon Gund, general manager Wayne Embry, head coach Lenny Wilkens (who also played 2 seasons for the Cavs in the 1970s), guards Mark Price and Terrell Brandon, forwards John Williams and Larry Nance; and center Brad Daugherty. And from the 2000s, they have honored center Žydrūnas Ilgauskas.

In addition, the Cavs have honored Chuck Broski, their statistician from Day One; longtime broadcaster Joe Tait; and Nick Gilbert, son of owner Dan Gilbert, who, fighting a genetic disease that would end his life at age 26, sat in for his father to announce the team's NBA Draft picks, and became something of a good luck charm after the team twice won the top pick. They have not yet honored anyone from the 2016 NBA Champions, not even LeBron James.

Mileti, Smith, Carr, Russell, Chones, Gund, Embry, Nance, Ilguaskas and 1980s general manager Harry Weltman have been inducted into the Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame.

*

June 19, 2016 was a Thursday. Football was out of season. The Stanley Cup was won a week earlier, by the Pittsburgh Penguins over the San Jose Sharks.

And these Major League Baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Minnesota Twins, 7-4 at Target Field in Minneapolis. Ervin Santana outpitched Nathan Eovaldi. Max Kepler and Brian Dozier hit home runs for the Twins. For the Yankees, Brian McCann went 3-for-4 with 2 solo home runs. Alex Rodriguez, in what turned out to be his last season, went 1-for-4 with an RBI.

* The New York Mets lost to the Atlanta Braves, 6-0 at Citi Field. Julio Teheran outpitched Jacob deGrom, coming within 1 baserunner of a perfect game, a 3rd-inning single by Michael Conforto. Nick Markakis went 2-for-5 with a home run and 2 RBIs. Freddie Freeman went 4-for-5 with an RBI.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Seattle Mariners, 2-1 at Fenway Park in Boston.

* The Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 5-1 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.

* The Baltimore Orioles beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 11-6 at Camden Yards in Baltimore. David Ortiz went 1-for-3 with a walk.

* The San Francisco Giants beat the Tampa Bay Rays, 5-1 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.

* The Miami Marlins beat the Colorado Rockies, 3-0 at Marlins Park (now LoanDepot Park) in Miami. How many Marlins pitchers does it take to pitch a 2-hit shutout? This time, 4: Tom Koehler, who allowed both hits but also walked 6 over 6 innings; then came a perfect inning each from Kyle Barraclough, David Phelps and AJ Ramos (no periods on his initials).

* The Cleveland Indians beat the Chicago White Sox, 3-2 at Progressive Field in Cleveland. José Ramírez singled Rajai Davis home with the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning.

* The Chicago Cubs beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 10-5 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. The Cubs got home runs from Javier Báez, Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Willson Contreras and Addison Russell. As big as 2016 had just become for ending a drought, it could have been an even bigger year for Cleveland: The World Series would be between the Indians, who hadn't won a World Series since 1948; and the Cubs, who hadn't won a Pennant since 1945 or a World Series since 1908.

* The Texas Rangers beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 5-4 at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis.

* The Kansas City Royals beat the Detroit Tigers, 2-1 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City. Cheslor Cuthbert singled Lorenzo Cain home with the winning run in the bottom of the 13th inning.

* The Houston Astros beat the Cincinnati Reds, 6-0 at Minute Maid Park (now Daikin Park) in Houston. Mike Fiers (4 hits over 5 2/3rds innings) and Chris Devenski combined on a 5-hit shutout.

* The San Diego Padres beat the Washington Nationals, 6-3 at Petco Park in San Diego.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 2-1 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

* And the Los Angeles Angels beat the Oakland Athletics, 2-0 at Oakland Coliseum.

March 21, 2026: LeBron James Breaks the NBA Record for Games Played

NOTE: Although this entry is from after 2022, I have backdated all entries from after that year to the corresponding date in 2022.

March 21, 2026: The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Orlando Magic, 105-104 at the Kia Center in Orlando, Florida. Luka Dončić scored 33 points to lead all players in the game.

LeBron James, 41 years old, started, played 34 minutes, and scored 12 points. It was the 1,612th NBA regular-season game of his career, making him the all-time leader.

He surpassed the record set by Robert Parish, who played in 1,611 games from 1976 to 1997, mostly with the Boston Celtics. He had broken the record set by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who played in 1,560 games from 1969 to 1989, with the Milwaukee Bucks until 1975, then with the Lakers.

Unlike some of James' records, this one is a bit dubious, as he was a pioneer it what became known as "load management": Not just skipping some games, which would make the record more impressive, but limiting his time on the court, making it less so.

Given his age, it was understandable that LeBron only played 60 games in the 2025-26 season. But he hasn't played in at least 72 since 2017-18, which is the only one of his 23 seasons in which he's played in all 82 games.

*

March 21, 2026 was a Saturday. There were 9 other NBA games that day:

* The Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Washington Wizards, 132-111 at the Capital One Arena in Washington. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 40 points.

* The Charlotte Hornets beat the Memphis Grizzlies, 124-101 at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte.

* The Atlanta Hawks beat the Golden State Warriors, 126-110 at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta.

* The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the New Orleans Pelicans, 111-106 at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans.

* The Los Angeles Clippers beat the Dallas Mavericks, 138-131 in overtime at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. Darius Garland scored 41 for the Clips.

* The Houston Rockets beat the Miami Heat, 123-122 at the Toyota Center in Houston. Bam Adebayo scored 32 and had 21 rebounds.

* The San Antonio Spurs beat the Indiana Pacers, 134-119 at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio.

* The Philadelphia 76ers beat the Utah Jazz, 126-116 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.

* And the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Phoenix Suns, 108-105 at the Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix.

Baseball was in Spring Training. Football was out of season. There were 6 games in the NHL:

* The New York Islanders lost to the Montreal Canadiens, 7-3 at the Bell Centre in Montreal. Cole Caufield had 3 goals and 2 assists.

* The Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Seattle Kraken, 5-2 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus.

* In an "Original Six" Matchup, the Boston Bruins beat the Detroit Red Wings, 4-2 at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.

* The Minnesota Wild beat the Dallas Stars, the former Minnesota North Stars, 2-1 at the Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, Minnesota.

* The Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Edmonton Oilers, 5-2 at Rogers Place in Edmonton.

* And the Buffalo Sabres beat the Los Angeles Kings, 4-1 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.