LeBron James Still a Yankees Fan Despite Indians’ Run

The World Series begins Tuesday night in Cleveland, and even though LeBron James will be pulling for his hometown team, his heart still lies with the Yankees.

Opening night of the NBA season is here! LeBron James and his defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers will take on the New York Knicks at Quicken Loans Arena, which is just a stone’s throw away from Progressive Field, home to Game 1 of the World Series.

At Monday’s team shoot-around, much of the conversation directed toward James had to do with his longtime affinity for the Yankees, despite the fact he’s jumped on the Indians’ bandwagon this Postseason.

“I’m a supporter,” James said, per the New York Post. “I’m a supporter of winners. As a kid growing up, I needed inspiration to get out of the situation I was in. I loved the Bulls, Cowboys and loved the Yankees. Those are winning franchises. I liked them because they gave me hope of being a winner. That’s part of the reason I loved those teams but I definitely support what the Indians are doing right now.’’

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Before you rush out and call James a front runner, pump the breaks. Remember he’s from nearby Akron. Taking last year’s Cavs’ championship out of the equation, Cleveland hadn’t won a title in any major sport since 1964–when the Browns defeated the Colts 27-0 to claim the NFL championship.

So you’ll have to excuse a kid growing up in this region during the 90s of looking elsewhere for entertaining–let along winning sports teams.

I realize the Indians were only a few pitches away from clinching the 1997 World Series, but this decade of baseball belonged to the Yankees, no one else.

Tuesday night will absolutely be one for the history books of Northeast Ohio. The Cavs get their NBA championship rings at 7pm–the Indians take the field in Game 1 of the World Series a little over an hour later at 8:08pm.

James and former teammate Dwayne Wade took to Twitter to partake in a friendly wager on who will win this year’s Fall Classic. Even though Wade is another self-proclaimed Yankees fan, he grew up in the Windy City, so it’s only natural he’s pulling for the Cubs.

“It’s joy for a day,’’ James said. “It’s a day that will go down in history for anyone who lives here– they will never forget it.” James then said going from the ceremony to the tip-off of a new season will be “very challenging.”

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Maybe, just maybe the Knicks can capitalize on the emotion of the evening and pull the rug out from under James and company. Hey, it could happen!