LeBron James Posted a 4th of July Video While the NBA Holds Its Breath

LeBron James is an unrestricted free agent. Again. Fourth time in his career. And the NBA is basically frozen in place waiting to see what he does next.

But on July 4th, LeBron did what he always does when the speculation gets loud: he went to Instagram and posted a video of himself just vibing. The clip, shared by Complex Sports, showed him relaxing in Akron, Ohio with a simple caption aimed at all the ‘animals’ out there — his word for fans and trolls alike who hang on his every move.

The timing is not subtle. He’s been in Akron for most of the last week. That alone has people wondering if a third stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers is actually possible. He’s done it before. He left Miami to go back. He left Cleveland to go to L.A. Nothing would surprise anyone at this point.

The usual suspects and one wild card

The Cavs are the obvious hometown option. But the list doesn’t stop there. The Miami Heat, Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves, and even the Philadelphia 76ers have all been floated as potential landing spots. Philly’s name popped up especially hard after they traded for Jaylen Brown last week. That move reshuffled the deck in the East and suddenly made the Sixers a more interesting fit for a 40-year-old LeBron who still draws double teams but isn’t carrying a team for 82 games anymore.

He’s not the MVP-caliber guy he was five years ago. He doesn’t have to be. The fact that the league is essentially at a standstill waiting on him says everything about his gravity. Teams are holding off on other moves. Free agents are waiting to see where he lands. It’s The Decision 4.0, whether anyone wants to call it that or not.

This is not the first time LeBron trolled everyone

Last summer LeBron hinted at retirement. Fans lost their minds. It turned out to be an ad for something. He does this. He knows exactly what he’s doing when he posts a casual video from Ohio on a holiday. It’s part of the show.

Nobody knows when he’ll actually announce anything. It could be days. It could be longer. The Cavs, Heat, Warriors, Timberwolves, and Sixers all make sense on paper. But LeBron has never done what made sense on paper. He does what he wants.

The video is still up. The speculation is still running. And LeBron is still just sitting in Akron, smiling at the chaos.