Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said LeBron James never felt particularly close to joining the team in free agency, despite speculation surrounding a potential move to the Bay Area.
"It never really felt like he was coming here. Never," Kerr said on the Tom Tolbert Show. "To me, it was more speculation than anything. I think we would've had a much better sense that, you know, something was going to happen."
James eventually chose the Philadelphia 76ers, signing with the team in July after leaving the Los Angeles Lakers. The 41-year-old returned to the Eastern Conference for the first time since 2018.
A move to Golden State would have teamed James with Stephen Curry, but it also would have brought together two longtime rivals. LeBron's Cleveland Cavaliers faced the Warriors in four consecutive NBA Finals from 2015 to 2018.
Golden State won three of those four series, while James led Cleveland to the 2016 championship after coming back from a 3-1 deficit.
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Kerr reveals Warriors fans' reaction
Kerr said he has heard from some Warriors fans who were actually happy that James did not end up in Golden State.
"Yeah, it's been really interesting, though, hearing fans around the Bay. Like people will randomly come up to me and say, 'I'm glad we didn't get Bron.'
"I'm like, 'Really? Huh.'
"And they're like, 'Yeah. Like, he's not supposed to be on our team. He's a rival.'
"And I get that as a sports fan. It'd be like, you know, should Magic and Bird have played on the same team?"
Kerr added that history made the possibility of LeBron wearing a Warriors jersey feel strange for some fans.
"It's been interesting hearing our fans. I think fans, you know, because of the emotional connection you have to your team and rivalries and all that stuff, I think it was just a weird thought. Like, that's the reaction I'm getting from a lot of people."