From the moment the Golden State Warriors completed their sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2018 NBA Finals, LeBron James and his pending free agency became the topic de jour in the sports world. Prominent basketball players like Joel Embiid, Enes Kanter and others almost immediately began publicly recruiting James to their respective teams.
Discussion of James' future also extended to the NFL, where Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz says he would welcome the opportunity to help bring James to Philly.
"Absolutely," Wentz told reporters Wednesday following the second day of Eagles minicamp. "I hope [James] is coming. [Zach] Ertz and I were there the other night and unfortunately he lost and everything. I didn't really care who won that game. But seeing him live, we decided to make it a recruiting trip."
What exactly Wentz and Ertz did to recruit James remains unclear. James, who spent his last four seasons with the Cavaliers, has won three titles in his career and has appeared in the last eight NBA Finals. However, after losing four out of the last five, he might decide that leaving Cleveland represents the best path toward adding more championship rings to his résumé. Philadelphia, with a young nucleus consisting of All-Stars Embiid and Ben Simmons, can make a compelling case for James' services, one that Wentz hopes to bolster.
As one of the most decorated players in NBA history, James will find no shortage of suitors over the coming months. Still, a gesture from an athlete of Wentz's caliber carries significant weight, enough to at least grab James' attention, and the quarterback doesn't seem to mind using his star power for the benefit of Philadelphia.
"Hopefully, he knows we were there," Wentz said.
