“I wouldn’t be mad looking at New York”: LeBron James rekindles Knicks dreams with strong message amid $52.6m decision

NBA insider Shams Charania reported this weekend that LeBron James will opt in to his $52.6 million player option to stay with the LA Lakers for the 2025-26 season. While James has locked in his commitment to the purple and gold squad for his record-setting Year 23, the future beyond that remains wide open for the King.

James appeared to tease this in an Instagram clip posted by The Program NYC, a team that is set to open a Brooklyn-based hoops facility for young aspirants. In the clip, LBJ consumes an appetizer at a restaurant and utters an ominous statement.

"I wouldn't be mad looking at New York," James says in the video.

Though the four-time NBA champion added no further context to his statement, his words bear some weight, given that there have been rumors in the past about his possible move to New York.

In 2010, as James' first stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers was coming to an end, the New York Knicks emerged as a potential landing spot. He ended up taking his talents to the Miami Heat, but in the build-up to "The Decision," fans were wondering if they would see James playing in the Big Apple.

At this point, the 40-year-old James has not announced a definitive time for his retirement from the league. If he does decide to part ways with the Lakers at the end of the upcoming season, the grand market of New York may come up as an enticing option for the league's all-time leading scorer.

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LeBron James gets showered by jeers in New York City: "You'll never beat Jordan or Kobe"

Ironically, LeBron James found himself on the wrong end of crowd heckling in the Big Apple this past weekend.

A viral TMZ clip shows the Lakers star getting showered by jeers as he walks towards an establishment in New York City.

"Get out of here, LeBron! Go back to LA," one pedestrian says in the clip. "Don't come to New York with that s***...You'll never beat Jordan! Or Kobe!"

To his credit, LeBron James walked past the jeering crowd without firing back a response. This crowd might have a different disposition, however, if James ever decides to boost the Knicks' championship aspirations.