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Sports
LeBron James At Cavs' Parade:
LeBron James To Return To
'Let's Get Ready For Next Year'
Cavs To Defend Title In 2016-17
LeBron James finally secured a championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Not that it should come as a surprise, but LeBron James fully intends to return to the Cavs to defend the NBA championship they just won next season.
"I love it here. I love being here. I love my teammates," James told cleveland.com, moments before he boarded a float at The Q for the Cavs' championship parade through downtown Cleveland. "Obviously my agent will take care of all the logistical things but, I'm happy. I've got no plans to go nowhere at this point."
James, 31, can become a free agent if he decides not to exercise the one-year, $24 million player's option in his contract. He will all but cer- tainly decline the option on June 29 so he can get a raise from the Cavs -- he can make upwards of $30 million next season under a new contract.
Free agents can begin nego-
LEBRON JAMES
tiating with teams July 1 and can sign July 7.
But James fully intends to lead the defense of the first championship in franchise history, and the first by a major pro sports team in Cleveland since 1964. He's been blown away emotionally by the outpouring of support from Cavs fans over the past few days, and, lest ye forget, he was born in Akron and just delivered a title to the region where he's lived for 27 of his 31 years.
"This is the happiest time in my life right now," James said.
With 1.3 million screaming fans attending the Cleveland Cavaliers parade, Jim Brown held the Larry O'Brien Trophy and walked toward LeBron James.
The last superstar to win Cleveland a championship 52 years ago passed the gold hardware Wednesday to James, concluding the Cav- aliers' championship parade and rally.
James accepted the proverbial passing of the torch from Brown, who led Cleveland's NFL title run in 1964.
James, the NBA Finals MVP, addressed his team- mates one by one and did not hold back.
Lebron Turned To Jay Z For NBA Finals Inspiration
After an incredible seven- game series, the NBA Finals came to a close Sunday night with LeBron James and his Cleveland Cavaliers hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy in triumph. LeBron, not sur- prisingly, looked inspired all series: He had the most points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks across the seven games; he had a triple double in the deciding Game 7; and he was named the unanimous MVP. Some of that inspiration, it seems, came from a Jay Z favorite.
“I just always go back to a Jay Z song, ‘[A] Star Is Born,'” LeBron said on
ESPN’s SportsCenter after the game last night. “I just always listen to that. I just always stay true to the game. I know what I’m capable of.”
Though Bron didn’t specifically mention J. Cole, I’m going to group Cole in as part of the inspiration, too, since he’s featured on that Hov Blueprint 3 track. Plus, back in 2010, LBJ called Cole his favorite new artist.
He also invoked Jay dur- ing his postgame press con- ference, though a little less smoothly. “Like Jay Z said, ‘You gotta stay low and keep firing,'” he told the media. That lyric, though, is from The Notorious B.I.G.’s “Kick in the Door.”
Another ESPN Employee Exits
Dwyane Wade And Others Show It All In ESPN Mag’s Body Issue
Polarizing sports commen- tator Skip Bayless is offi- cially a former ESPN employee, as his last episode of “First Take” aired on Tues- day morning.
The show played a high- light reel of Bayless’ greatest moments — set to Boyz II Men’s sentimental classic “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday” — followed by his emotional goodbye.
However it appears Bay- less won’t be missed by too many of his former ESPN col- leagues.
Scott Van Pelt also took a jab at LeBron James critics and many feel the comment was directed at Bayless, who has mocked James through- out his career.
SKIP BAYLESS
Bayless is leaving ESPN to join Fox Sports, where his for- mer ESPN boss Jamie Horowitz is now running the show.
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, who battled Bayless on “First Take” on a daily basis, promised at ESPN’s up- front presentation last month that the show will be “even better” without Bayless.
Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade, Irish UFC fighter Conor McGregor and Super Bowl MVP/”Dancing With the Stars” alum Von Miller are among the su- perstar athletes appearing in all their natural glory in ESPN The Magazine’s eighth annual Body Issue, the pub- lication announced on Tues- day.
Body 2016 will also fea- ture a transgender athlete for the first time, Team USA duathlete Chris Mosier, who was also the first trans athlete to make a U.S. na- tional team last year.
Also stripping off for ESPN the Magazine’s flag- ship issue are Houston Tex- ans nose tackle Vince Wilfork, Olympic boxer
nude for the magazine seven years in a row.
“It was uncharted water for me,” the 13-year NBA veteran told ESPN. “It was one of those moments where it’s good to overcome a fear of something.
“It’s bigger than me show- ing my body off. That’s not as important to me as telling a story of overcoming a fear. It hopefully gives someone confidence to really be their authentic self.”
Wilfork, who weighs in at 325 pounds, said: “I know I don’t have the six-packs and the eight-packs and all that ... but I’m perfectly fine with what I am.
The Body Issue will be available online on July 6 and on newsstands July 8.
Pacers Acquire Jeff Teague In 3-Team Deal
DWYANE WADE
in ESPN Magazine Spread
Claressa Shields, U.S. women’s national soccer team forward Christen Press and Olympic gold medalist diver Greg Louganis.
The eighth time proved the charm for Wade who had turned down posing
The Atlanta Hawks are sending guard Jeff Teague to the Indiana Pacers as part of a three-way deal with the Utah Jazz, league sources told The Vertical.
Indiana will send guard George Hill to the Jazz, who are moving the No. 12 overall pick in Thursday’s NBA draft to Atlanta, league sources said.
For salary-cap purposes, the deal won’t be official until July.
For Indiana and Utah, this gives them the starting point guards that they’ve been long- ing to acquire on the market. With the move, Atlanta is
JEFF TEAGUE
committing to guard Dennis Schroder as its point guard of the future.
Utah is determined to reach the playoffs next sea- son, and Hill gives the Jazz an accomplished and versa- tile guard without giving up a player.
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