The Philadelphia 76ers start their season against the New York Knicks on opening night, and Brian Windhorst believes that LeBron James might want to see the ring ceremony. Typically, when opposing teams play the defending NBA champion on opening night, they stay in the locker room during the ceremony and come out when it's time to play.
But in a recent episode of the Hoop Collective podcast, Windhorst shared why he thinks James would want to see Knicks Ring Night.
“LeBron has had 4 of his own ring nights of his own. And i know the Sixers won’t be out there on the court while the Knicks are accepting their rings and the banner goes up. But I wonder if LeBron would like to be out there just to feel the Garden. He’s praised the Garden 100 times and if you give him 100 more times he would praise it 100 more times. He truly loves the Garden. I wonder if part of him wants to just stand out there just as a fan of the game and as a fan of basketball,” Windhorst said.
James praised the Knicks on the Mind The Game podcast and even said he looked to join the team in free agency, in a quote ESPN obtained during media day in September, but decided against it after they won the NBA title.
“I had visions of playing in [Madison Square] Garden and finishing my career in the Garden. One of the best places I've ever played…I think it's the No. 1 arena in the world, as far as for a basketball player. But after they beat San Antonio, I was like, ‘Hey, I can't.' I couldn't do it.”