CLEVELAND — Following NBA All-Star Game practice on Saturday, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James said he considers himself one of three Cleveland all stars. 

What You Need To Know

  • Lakers star LeBron James, a native of Akron who had two stints with the Cavs, is playing in his 18th NBA All-Star Game this year

  • James said he considers himself among the Cleveland all stars as two current Cavs players, Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen, are also participating

  • James told reporters that he remembers the last time Cleveland hosted the NBA All-Star Game and remembered wishing as a child that he could be at the arena

James, a native of Akron and former member of the Cavaliers, included himself a member of the Cleveland contingent along with current Cavs stars Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen. The NBA invited Garland and Allen to the All-Star Game as the Cavs have their best season since James left in 2018. 

“I mean, Cleveland is very deserving of this platform and this moment,” James said. "They got two All-Stars of their own in the game in D.G. (Darius Garland) and the big fella, Jarrett Allen. And they got another guy in the All-Star, and that’s me. It’s great, man. I’m Pushin’ P, capital P, you know? That’s what I’m doing.”

James said he remembers during the 1997 NBA All-Star wishing he was at the arena for the game. 

“I wished I had the means and the ability to come up to Cleveland and just feel that energy and hopefully bump into one of those guys,” James said. “I had so many dreams of being an All-Star when I was a kid, growing up in Akron and having a team that was 35 minutes north of us, even though as much as I love MJ, love the Bulls, you know, just having that inspiration, having pro teams right up 77 North.”

While James makes his 18th All-Star Game appearance this weekend, doing so in Cleveland is special for James. 

“To sit here 25 years later doing what I love to do, dreaming about what I love to do, believing in what I wanted to be, it’s just unbelievable,” he said. 

James will be teammates with Garland and Allen, who have the Cavs not just in playoff contention, but among the top teams in the Eastern Conference. 

“It’s still a lot to take in,” Allen said. “I don’t think I’ve fully grasped the moment that I’m in. I’m part of the top 24 players in the NBA at this All-Star Weekend, so I’m just excited, I’m ready to take it all in and just enjoy every moment.”

Allen and Garland sat courtside Friday, feet from where the Cavs sit for home games, watching their Cleveland teammates Evan Mobley and Isaac Okoro take part in the Rising Stars game. Mobley and Okoro helped their squad of young players, coached by NBA great Rick Barry, win the four-team tournament. 

“I mean, you see it on both ends of the court, especially on the defensive end,” Allen said about Mobley. “You look up at the stat sheet and see that he has three blocks and two steals, and it’s like, where did this come from. He just has that impact on the game that not many people have.”

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