The Miami Heat posted – and then deleted – a link to the presentation of LeBron James, increasing speculation the 41-year-old is poised to return to South Florida.
The link, titled ‘LeBron James Introductory Press Conference’, was posted on YouTube with the date stamp of July 27. A team spokesperson told ESPN it was a mistake and attributed it to the social media department preparing for the possibility of James joining.
Miami are one of the teams in the race to sign James, who is an unrestricted free agent after leaving the Los Angeles Lakers.
He spent four years with the Heat between 2010 and 2014, helping them to the NBA championship in 2012 and 2013.
LeBron James won’t rush decision – agent
The Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers and Philadelphia 76ers are also in the race but James’ agent Rich Paul said his client would take his time to assess his options and would not be rushed.
“There’s been several people who have called and said, ‘Hey Rich, is there anything more we should be doing?’” Paul told the latest episode of the ‘Game Over’ podcast with Max Kellerman.
“My answer is, ‘No. We don’t need you to go above and beyond about anything. We understand it. It’s clear. All the messages have been sent.’”
Paul also rejected the idea that James is prolonging the process to generate publicity, distancing the situation from the highly publicised television special ‘The Decision’ in 2010, when James announced his move from Cleveland to Miami.
“We’re not making this about attention and a spectacle,” Paul said.
“It’s not about a ‘Decision’ or anything like that. He has a business choice to make. We’re not going to allow someone else to decide when he makes that decision.”
No timeframe for LeBron James’ announcement
He added that speculation claiming an announcement is imminent should be treated with caution.
“These people don’t know anything,” Paul said.
“I don’t know when his choice is going to be made. It could be 48 seconds from now. It could be 48 minutes. You can’t make somebody know something that they don’t know.”
