During NBA free agency, there seems to be more than just money and winning influencing a players’ choice of which team to join for the foreseeable future.
The big names are quickly falling from the 2018 NBA free agency board only a few days into July with plenty of signings left and right. The big decision made recently involving LeBron James has affected the fortunes of both his old team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and his new team, the Los Angeles Lakers.
This decision is very different from his past changes in teams, as the three-time NBA champion focused more on his family’s needs in the deliberating. During the past moves by James, his children were very young and easily able to adapt quickly to changes, but now with age comes their own dreams and aspirations that force the basketball “King” to think more like “Dad.”
James put the entire league on notice about his plans to include his family fully in his decision well before the playoffs during an early April interview with Cleveland.com.
"“My family. That’s all that matters,” James told Cleveland.com. “I want to continue to win at the highest level, because I know I can still do it as an individual, and then my family. My family is what’s most important to me, more than anything.”“That’s just a small piece of it,” James said, when asked if the decision comes down to where his family wants to live. “We make joint decisions all together, all the time. Once we get to it, my agent and my team we will all tackle it the right way but my family plays a big part in it. And winning.”"
It’s no secret James enjoys watching his talented son, LeBron “Bronny” James Jr., play basketball, and the opportunity to have him attend a top high school basketball program was critical. Los Angeles has such a place in Sierra Canyon High School, featuring plenty of second-generation NBA hopefuls, though nothing is officially confirmed yet.
One of the more infamous free agent decisions determined by family involvement occurred back in the year 2000, as the Orlando Magic were attempting to land All-Star forward Tim Duncan. Duncan was ready to leave the San Antonio Spurs during the summer to join a team that would eventually feature Tracy McGrady and Grant Hill.
The deal was torn apart partially due to a special team rule about traveling with family on the team plane, enforced by then head coach Doc Rivers. Hill confirmed the rumor earlier this year on an episode of ESPN’s show “The Jump”.
"“I made my visit with Tim Duncan, I was at the dinner when someone in Tim’s entourage, I’ll just leave it that way, asked Doc ‘Can significant others travel on the plane?’ And Doc said no.”"
The family-first mindset crosses over to other sports as well, according to former NFL Super Bowl champion, Victor Cruz. Cruz explained during an episode of his podcast the mindset of a player during free agency and how much his family obligations weighed on his decisions.
"“Your family situation, do you have children? How far away do you want to be from them when you’re playing? Another thing is you gotta play, you gotta put food on the table, so you gotta take whatever is there. The lucky ones are able to check which states have no state tax so they can maximize the amount of money they can accrue in whatever period of time they are playing in that state.”"
.@TeamVic on how athletes decide where to play.#HS18 pic.twitter.com/S83VPqFZIo
— Hashtag Sports (@HashtagSports) June 27, 2018
These are just a few examples of the many factors that go into a players decision to join another team during free agency.
Next: 2018 NBA free agency tracker: Grades for every deal so far
It’s easy to forget that they are people — like the millions of fans who pay to see them perform — that need the security and welfare of their own families taken into strong consideration.