LeBron James' latest return to Cleveland proved to be an emotional one.
James was honored with a tribute video during theCavaliers' 129-99 victory over theLos Angeles Lakerson Wednesday night, and it appeared to bring him to tears.
The four-time MVP was clearly emotional while on the bench as Cleveland showed the video on the screens at Rocket Arena. Among the highlights shown during the video was his playoff game against theDetroit Pistonsin 2007, when he scored 25 straight points.
"... Obviously, with the moment they put up there with the Detroit game and looking up in the rafters and seeing our championship banner, it was a lot of reflecting for sure,"James saidduring his postgame media availability.
James also saidthat "being present" led to the outpouring of emotion.
An emotional LeBron soaks in the Cleveland tribute 🥹pic.twitter.com/SrcXsUIEfl
— NBA (@NBA)January 29, 2026
James finished the game with 11 points, five assists and three rebounds in 27 minutes of play. He shot 3-for-10 from the field and was 0-for-3 from the 3-point line. He also had six turnovers.
While he largely struggled, the game still had plenty of highlights for James. One of them was having his mother, Gloria, in attendance for the game.
"My mom got to watch her son and her grandson play in the NBA at the same time," James said.
James' son, Bronny James, also plays for the Lakers and he finished the game with eight points in eight minutes of play and had a highlight dunk late in the game. He went 3-for-3 from the field and 2-for-2 from the 3-point line.
The Cleveland crowd and LeBron were loving Bronny's dunk 🔥pic.twitter.com/VY8T4fSYqB
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter)January 29, 2026
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:LeBron James cries during Cavaliers tribute video
