CLEVELAND (AP) — LeBron James sat courtside like a fan in an arena he made famous.
His postseason over for weeks, James was back home in Ohio and watched Monday night's playoff game between the Cavaliers and Boston Celtics, an appearance certain to drive conversation about the superstar's future.
James, who can opt out of his contact with the Los Angeles Lakers and become a free agent this summer, arrived in Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse just as Game 4 began. He took a seat across from Boston's bench next to his wife, Savannah, and agent Rich Paul.
During a timeout in the first quarter, James received a thunderous ovation when shown on the giant scoreboard during a timeout. He acknowledged the roaring crowd and then King James mimicked placing a crown on his head.
He left in the closing minutes as the Celtics w rapped up a 109-102 win to take a 3-1 lead in the series.
James played two stints in Cleveland and led the Cavs to their only NBA championship in 2016 before leaving two years later. There has been speculation about another reunion, but the 39-year-old has been adamant that he's leaving all his options open.
The league's career scoring leader, James has maintained a home near his hometown of Akron. He's come back to Cleveland many times since leaving in 2018, but has not attended any Cavs games.
James had a short postseason this year as the Lakers were eliminated in the first round by the defending champion Denver Nuggets. James made it clear following the series that he's made no firm decisions about his next move.
James has talked in the past about playing alongside his oldest son, Bronny, who played at USC last season and recently declared for this year's draft.
On Monday, the younger James was cleared by the league's doctors to participate in the pre-draft combine in Chicago after going into cardiac arrest last summer.
James is a 20-time All-Star, four-time league MVP and champion. He was drafted No. 1 overall by Cleveland and spent seven seasons with the Cavs before signing as a free agent with Miami in 2010.
He returned to the Cavs in 2014 and led them to four consecutive NBA Finals appearances — all against Golden State.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
Tom Withers, The Associated Press
