Miami Heat’s introductory press conference for Giannis Antetokounmpo inevitably led to questions about LeBron James potentially joining the franchise.
Pat Riley sat next to Giannis at the press conference after finally landing the kind of superstar Miami’s fanbase has wanted since they lost LeBron in 2014.
Funnily enough, Riley could bring LeBron over to the Heat in the same summer as Giannis, with the new franchise star and the longstanding team President openly discussing James’ potential return.
Giannis Antetokounmpo would welcome LeBron James to the Miami Heat
While speaking to ESPN after his introduction as the newest member of the Heat, Giannis made it clear that he would welcome LeBron joining the franchise.
“The history has shown that he’s always made good decisions for his career. And I hope if he thinks that the Miami Heat is a good decision for him, I would love for him to be here.”
He also had other quotes about playing against the LeBron-led Heat as a rookie in the NBA, so this would clearly be a dream come true for the Greek Freak.
James averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 7.2 assists last season, and could easily be a high-level contributor on the Heat as they return to championship contention.
Pat Riley makes it clear that the Miami Heat want LeBron James to return
Riley had a very candid response when asked about Miami’s pursuit of LeBron during a media scrum after Giannis’ introduction, making it clear that the Heat are in the race for James’ signature.
“To be transparent about it, we’ve had discussions over a week ago, maybe a week before that about it, but right now I think we’re like everybody else, we’re just waiting to see what he does.”
Riley also ended the Antetokounmpo presser by saying the Heat have already landed one plane and hoping they can land the other one, a clear reference to their pursuit of James.
If LeBron were to return for his second stint with the Heat, he’d have to deliver on a championship within a season, given the hype around a frontcourt big three of James, Giannis, and Bam Adebayo.
However, this might be the best comparison to the frontcourt-heavy 2020 Lakers where LeBron was the team’s point guard, so he can do the same on the Heat and win the fifth title of his career.
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