Follow us on Google Discover Delonte West has revealed that LeBron James personally tried to recruit him to the Cleveland Cavaliers during a game, months before the franchise eventually traded for the guard.
West was playing for the Seattle SuperSonics when Cleveland visited in the opening month of the 2007-08 season, with James apparently already aware of what the guard could offer.
The Cavaliers had reached the NBA Finals the previous season, but James was clearly thinking about how to improve the team around him.
Photo by Matt Stone/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty ImagesLeBron James was already recruiting before the ‘LeGM’ era
Speaking on Derrick J. Trapten’s YouTube channel, West recalled James bringing up his college career while the two were on court.
“He was like, ‘Man, I followed you in college. You remember that time I came to Philly at the Palestra to watch you play?’ He was like, ‘Man, you want to come play with Cleveland?’”
West initially thought James was simply trying to distract him during the game.
“He was serious. He asked me to, believe that, man, he asked me to come play with him during the game. So they traded me. They did a trade during the trade deadline to go to Cleveland,” West said.
Cleveland eventually acquired West and Wally Szczerbiak from Seattle on February 21, 2008, as part of a three-team trade that also brought Ben Wallace and Joe Smith to the Cavaliers.
The move worked quickly. West started all 26 games he played for Cleveland after arriving and averaged 10.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists.
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West was hardly a random target, either. During his final college season at Saint Joseph’s, he averaged 18.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.7 assists while helping the Hawks reach the Elite Eight.
Photo by Doug Benc/Getty Images
His arrival also gave James another experienced guard during the early stages of his Cleveland career.
Years later, that moment feels particularly notable because of the reputation James developed around roster construction. The “LeGM” nickname became shorthand for the perception that he has had a major influence on his teams’ personnel decisions.
West’s story does not suggest James was running Cleveland’s front office. It does, however, show that even as a young superstar, he was already identifying players he believed could help him compete.
West never won a championship with James in Cleveland, but his recruitment remains a fascinating glimpse into how involved James was with his team’s direction long before the “LeGM” label became part of the conversation.
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