Giannis Antetokounmpo reportedly didn’t push hard to recruit LeBron James

Everyone seemed to have a pitch for LeBron James. Giannis Antetokounmpo apparently wasn’t one of them.

According to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, the Heat star “never really went out of his way” to recruit James during free agency, despite Miami emerging as one of the teams linked to the four-time MVP before he ultimately signed with the 76ers.

Exactly how much contact Antetokounmpo had with James isn’t known. But Siegel reported it wasn’t nearly as aggressive as some of the other recruiting efforts around the league.

Philadelphia, for instance, made a full-court press. Tyrese Maxey was heavily involved in convincing James to join the Sixers, while Warriors forward Draymond Green also did his part trying to lure James to Golden State.

The Cavaliers, meanwhile, never appeared to launch a major player-to-player recruiting campaign, though Cleveland’s long history with James may have made that unnecessary.

Whether Antetokounmpo’s approach had any impact on James’ decision is impossible to know. James ultimately chose Philadelphia, joining Joel Embiid, Maxey and Jaylen Brown in pursuit of another championship.

Perhaps Giannis believed giving James space was the better strategy. Or perhaps he simply trusted Miami’s front office to make its case.

Either way, one of the NBA’s biggest stars reportedly wasn’t among those making repeated calls as the league waited for James to decide his future.

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