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Basically all the NBA free agency rumors available now point towards LeBron James joining the Los Angeles Lakers within the next week. There is tangible evidence that him signing is a likelihood, but what actually has people freaking out now is a flight tracker, and the fact that it has been used to spot James heading to the same place he lives every offseason.
Lakers Reddit was all over this plane yesterday, using investigative journalism that would make a traditional news outlet proud. That reality didn’t stop some more mainstream NBA personalities from taking credit for the discovery, but I digress.
This also isn’t THAT big of a confirmation that James is joining the Lakers. There are much more real signs that he’ll join the team than that he has arrived in a city where he spends nearly every offseason at one of his two homes in L.A., but that reality didn’t stop people from THIS being the specific thing that people freaked out about.
And boy, did they ever freak out. We have people at the airport, people taking photos of a car that might contain LeBron James, and much more. Here’s a taste of the madness:
Update: 10:51 AM EST
— Sherwob Holmes (@World_Wide_Wob) June 30, 2018
Only scheduled private flight from Anguilla to Van Nuys (LA) today
~3 hours 26 min from landing pic.twitter.com/3GcEEPNnJM
@World_Wide_Wob the Wobarazzi has arrived. pic.twitter.com/16PGz9hVOV
— carey (@careyfrozt) June 30, 2018
#WeAreAllWitnesses pic.twitter.com/Jvob5GPDyq
— Ϻαrc Vєrgαrα (@markeemarc) June 30, 2018
Future Laker LeBron James has landed in LA pic.twitter.com/ghhVdAq7F1
— Alex Harmer (@harmer805) June 30, 2018
After the fan paparazzi had started the party, the media started to show up:
Here at Van Nuys Airport. LeBron has landed. @ABC7 helicopter in the air catching the bird’s eye view. pic.twitter.com/vidfCltA4W
— Tarek Fattal (@Tarek_Fattal) June 30, 2018
Bron’s jet pic.twitter.com/14hfILh7fP
— Tarek Fattal (@Tarek_Fattal) June 30, 2018
LeBron is in Los Angeles apparently. (I was told he was in this car leaving Van Nuys Airport.) Now we wait on his decision. pic.twitter.com/edDnZGMGO1
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) June 30, 2018
LeBron James landing in Los Angeles. pic.twitter.com/nLnX0CxEbe
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) June 30, 2018
Those are... certainly some pictures of cars and planes (and one of LeBron, so he is here).
Look, I get it. LeBron James arriving in L.A. the day free agency is set to begin is a fun story, it just isn’t the guarantee he’s Lakers bound that a lot of people are making it out to be.
That said, he is still likely Lakers bound, especially given that Las Vegas and nearly every NBA reporter seem to be treating the Lakers as the favorites here. The plane stuff is fun, but if you want the real confirmation that James is coming to L.A., it’s not because he flew to his offseason home.
You can follow Harrison on Twitter at @hmfaigen.