ESPN NBA analyst Alan Hahn issued a challenge to LeBron James on Thursday.
Actually, he dared him.
If LeBron really wants to win that elusive fifth NBA championship -- putting him one closer to Michael Jordan’s six -- he will join the Knicks to try help the franchise win its first title in 53 years.
“I dare him, I double dog dare him,” Hahn said. “If you really really believe in all the words you’re saying right there, the one place that you know you could go, all you have to do is say it -- sing it if you want, like Sinatra: New York, New York.”
He added: “Where is the fastest, easiest path to the NBA Finals for LeBron James? It’s the place he has avoided his entire career. That’s right everybody, it’s right here in New York.”
LeBron, of course, famously spurned the Knicks (and other teams) when he made “The Decision” in 2010 to join the Miami Heat. He made the announcement at the Boys & Girls Club Greenwich, Conn., a stone’s throw from the Knicks’ practice facility in Tarrytown, N.Y.
James, who turns 41 in December, opted in last month to his $52.6 million player option with the L.A. Lakers for the 2025-26 season and is reportedly “closely monitoring the Lakers’ moves and whether the team is positioning itself this offseason to field a title-contending roster,” his agent Rich Paul told ESPN’s Shams Charania.
“LeBron wants to compete for a championship,” Paul told ESPN. “He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all. We are very appreciative of the partnership that we’ve had for eight years with Jeanie [Buss] and Rob [Pelinka] and consider the Lakers as a critical part of his career.”
Since then, the Lakers landed a center in former No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton, the ninth No. 1 pick to play with LeBron.
The Lakers, of course, also feature Bronny James, LeBron’s older son, while Bryce James, his younger son, is set to join the Arizona men’s basketball team next season.
The Knicks, meantime, finally hired a coach in Mike Brown, who coached LeBron and the Cleveland Cavaliers to the 2007 NBA Finals and is a two-time former NBA Coach of the Year.
The Knicks also bolstered their bench by adding guard Jordan Clarkson and center Guerschon Yabusele
The Knicks are also said to be lying in the weeds awaiting Giannis Antetokounmpo’s next move. if he feels the Milwaukee Bucks won’t be competitive for an NBA title after adding Myles Turner and waiving Damian Lillard, he could ask to be traded.
Knicks’ fans are probably more likely to embrace that move -- if it ever were to happen -- than a soon-to-be 41-year-old James coming to Madison Square Garden.
Adam Zagoria is a freelance reporter who covers Seton Hall and NJ college basketball for NJ Advance Media. You may follow him on Twitter @AdamZagoriaand check out his Website atZAGSBLOG.com.
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