On Saturday night, the Cavaliers are going to retire Zydrunas Ilgauskas' No. 11 jersey during Cleveland's game against the Knicks. And believe it or not, LeBron James is thinking about showing up to celebrate with his old teammate and close friend, who invited him to the ceremony. The Heat don't play on Saturday night and have a game against the Bulls in Chicago on Sunday. So in theory, King James could attend the ceremony in Cleveland and then make his way up to the Windy City once it's over. But he hasn't decided whether or not he's going to attend Ilgauskas' ceremony just yet.
"I want to be there," he said after dropping 61 points against the Bobcats last night, "but we'll see. I'm not sure just yet. I think it's going to be a great day for my friend, a dear friend of mine. I'm excited for him."
There are several things that might prevent James from making the trip to Cleveland. One of those things is that he would obviously need permission from both the Heat and the Cavaliers to attend the ceremony. Another is that the city of Cleveland might not be happy about him showing up at Quicken Loans Arena. And the last thing is that James attending the ceremony would, whether he wants it to or not, overshadow Ilgauskas on his big night.
"I hope it doesn't, if I'm able to make it," he said. "It's not my day, it's not about me. It's about Z."
Keep an eye on this situation this weekend. Because if LeBron does make an appearance in Cleveland, it'll be interesting to see how Cavaliers fans welcome him.
RELATED: A Recent History of Dramatic Sports Homecomings
[via ESPN]
