LeBron James made it clear last month that retirement was not yet in his plans. The four-time NBA MVP said he plans to keep playing in 2026-27, but not with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Sixteen years ago, James placed his free agency at the center of a nationally televised spectacle. “The Decision,” a special tied to his work with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, ended with James revealing he would leave the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat.

James left Miami in 2014 to return to his home state of Ohio, where he ultimately delivered the Cavaliers their first NBA title in 2016. He changed teams again in 2018, joining the Lakers.

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A view of LeBron James speaking onstage during The Shop Live panel at Fanatics Fest at Jacob Javits Center in New York City on July 17, 2026. (Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for Fanatics)

More recently, speculation has surfaced that James could be eyeing another return, this time to South Florida. Miami only fueled that talk earlier this week when it shared a since-deleted social media post linking to what was billed as the “LeBron James Introductory Press Conference.”

A Heat team spokesperson later told ESPN the purported livestream event was not legitimate.

“I haven’t read anything about, I haven’t spoken to (anyone about it). But my guess would be where there’s smoke, there’s fire,” ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter said in about the link in question.

AGENT RICH PAUL SAYS LEBRON JAMES WON’T BE RUSHED ON NBA FREE AGENCY DECISION DESPITE OUTSIDE PRESSURE

Schefter’s comments aligned with the growing speculation that James could land in Miami alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo next season.

Broadcaster Adam Schefter of ESPN’s Monday Night Football Countdown is seen on the sideline prior to the NFL International Series game between the Arizona Cardinals and the San Francisco 49ers at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, Mexico, on Nov. 21, 2022. (Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports)

“Had a text that said just be ready for LeBron to go to Miami. I can read you the exact text,” Schefter continued during a recent appearance on Philadelphia’s 97.5 The Fanatic. “‘I’m hearing Bron is coming to the Miami Heat, just want to give you a heads up. You may want to check it out.’”

Schefter pointed to a tip he said he received on June 30, when reports first surfaced that James would consider playing his 24th NBA season away from the Lakers.

In 2010, James decided to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers and sign with the Miami Heat. “The Decision” received backlash from Cavaliers fans and LeBron James’ detractors. During his stint in Miami, LeBron James won two NBA Finals. He left the Miami Heat in 2014 to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers. James claimed he went back to Cleveland to raise his children in his hometown. Fans speculate he returned to bring a title to the team that drafted him. (Larry Busacca/Getty Images for Estabrook Group)

The Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors and Philadelphia 76ers have also been linked to James.

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James remained productive last season, averaging 20.9 points, 7.2 assists, and 6.1 rebounds across 60 games. He remains the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.

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Ryan Fox won his maiden major championship in impressive fashion on Sunday at Royal Birkdale, birdieing four of his final six holes, including the 18th, where he hit a masterful approach to 11 feet and then drained the putt to claim the Open title by a single shot over clubhouse leader Cameron Young.

One of the most notable details of Fox’s final hole was the way he wasted no time over his life-changing putt. In fact, it took only 22 seconds after Fox’s playing partner, Sam Burns, tapped in for his par for Fox to send his winning putt on its way to the hole.

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On this week’s episode of Subpar, the newly-minted champ revisited his crucial 18th-hole moment with hosts Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz.

“While Sam was reading his putt, like, I’ve done all my work before Sam had hit his putt,” Fox said. “I make sure I’m ready to go when it’s my turn. So I’d read the putt, and I go over the back of the green there, like behind the hole, and it hit me at the time, like, I’m not going to repeat exactly what went through my head, but something along the lines of, ‘I’ve got a putt in the Open.’ And I almost lost it at that point.

“It was pretty overwhelming, and it was kind of like, how am I gonna hit this putt?” Fox continued. “And I just had to kind of get to the back of the green, stop looking at the putt, just go, hey, it’s just a putt. Take a couple of deep breaths, go look at it again, see what you see and try to hit it online.”

Fox said there was only one thing he wanted to avoid doing as he prepared to hit the putt.

“Walking into the ball, the only thing I didn’t want to do is be an idiot and absolutely gun it,” he said. “I wanted to try to make the putt, obviously, but you don’t want to lip out high side and have three-and-a-half feet to get back in the playoff. That wouldn’t be a lot of fun.”

Luckily for Fox, he didn’t have to worry about making a comebacker, because he delivered the ball into the cup, despite having what he described as very shaky hands.

“Didn’t have to go in the middle, it just had to finish in the hole. And it did,” he said. “My caddie Dean probably said the coolest thing to me a few hours after. We’re probably a couple of drinks deep at this point, he goes, ‘Foxy, you might only ever have one putt in your career, in your life, to win a major championship, and you just effin’ holed it.’

“I was like, yeah, I haven’t thought of it that way,” Fox continued. “I might never get that opportunity again, and I was pretty proud of myself to actually pull it off in that moment.”

WWE held a special edition of Saturday Night’s Main Event at Madison Square Garden on July 18. The show featured several matches and major crossover appearances from outside the professional wrestling industry. Now, a new report suggests that not everyone behind the scenes was fully on board with one major decision.

According to WrestleVotes on Fightful Select, several of WWE’s day-to-day decision-makers were “not exactly enthusiastic” about the level of New York Knicks integration throughout the show. The NBA champions were heavily involved throughout the broadcast, playing key roles in two of the night’s biggest moments. Karl-Anthony Towns first made his presence felt during Danhausen‘s match against JD McDonagh. The Knicks star got involved physically, delivering chokeslams to both McDonagh and Dominik Mysterio, helping Danhausen pick up the victory.

Later in the show’s closing segment, Jalen Brunson joined Roman Reigns in the ring. The OTC presented the NBA Finals MVP with a custom New York Knicks-themed championship belt, but the celebration was interrupted by their respective rivals, Seth Rollins and Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton. A physical altercation then ensued. Although The Visionary initially gained the advantage, Reigns recovered with assistance from Brunson before putting Rollins down with a spear to end the show on top.

The report noted that WWE officials understood the unique atmosphere surrounding the Madison Square Garden event. The local crowd was eager to celebrate the Knicks ending their 53-year championship drought. Despite understanding the excitement, there was a strong internal feeling that the presentation “went further than many would have preferred.”

WrestleVotes also reported that a source spoke the day after Saturday Night’s Main Event and suggested that part of the internal reaction may simply come down to differing interests behind the scenes. According to the source, some people backstage are not particularly invested in sports, which may have contributed to the mixed opinions regarding the extensive NBA crossover.

Roman Reigns’ major WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event moment was Triple H’s idea

A new report has revealed that one of the biggest moments from Saturday Night’s Main Event was originally pitched by WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H.

According to Ibou of Self Made Sessions, Triple H personally came up with the idea for the show’s closing segment involving Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Jalen Brunson, and Tyrese Haliburton.

“Triple H had an idea for the show. His idea was, quote, ‘What if Haliburton went out with Seth and they just like tried to fight Roman and Jalen?’ And at the time when Hunter pitched this, people were like, ‘I hear you.’ And it ended up happening.”

With WWE SummerSlam around the corner, it will be interesting to see what other cross-promotional segments the sports entertainment juggernaut features on TV.