National Basketball Association

Should LeBron James finish career in Cleveland?

Updated Apr. 9, 2022 6:48 p.m. ET

LeBron James is still plowing full-steam ahead.

The 37-year-old remains one of the best players in the NBA, and despite not being able to push his Lakers into the postseason, James just posted one of his best standalone seasons ever.

In a campaign highlighted by not one, but two 50-point outbursts, and a slot among the league's best nightly scorers, James averaged 30.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 6.2 assists on a 52.4% shooting clip.

James has been adamant that he's far from finished, and even posted a farewell tweet to the 2021-22 season aimed toward Lakers nation, promising that he'd be back to his vintage tactics next season.

James has also been vocal about his desires to suit up alongside his son Bronny, who's currently a high school junior. He's also expressed his willingness to play anywhere, as long as his son is there.

But in Emmanuel Acho's mind, James should set his sights on one destination to close out his career.

"There's only one right answer," Acho said Friday on "Speak For Yourself."

"It's Cleveland. If you finish your career in one place, you have to understand this: You're likely not going to win a title at the end of your career because you're not that talented athletically. Physically, you're starting to decay. Can you win the battle of nostalgia — the one battle you can actually win? Because you can't win the battle on the court, LeBron James. You'll likely finish your career at what, 41, 42 years of age?"

The Cavs, this season — for lack of a sexier term — are good. As of Saturday, Cleveland is 43-38 and guaranteed a play-in spot in the Eastern Conference.

Cleveland hasn't sniffed the playoffs over the past three seasons, after James bolted for the Lakers after the 2017-18 season, which culminated in Cleveland's fourth consecutive trip to the NBA Finals.

In 2018-19, the Cavs finished 19-63, followed by a 19-46 campaign in 2019-20 and a 22-50 mark last season.

Cleveland has rebuilt its roster, beginning in the 2018 NBA Draft, when it selected Collin Sexton with the No. 8 pick. The Cavs then drafted Darius Garland with the fifth pick in the 2019 draft, and most recently, Evan Mobley with the third pick in the 2020 draft.

Acho acknowledged the allures that the City of Angels possesses, but maintained that going back to the place where it all started was the best option for "The King."

"When we go back and think about the end of your career, let's at least go back and think about how you ended your career in the place you started your career. … Let's go back and reward those fans, the organization, who rewarded you, the No. 1 overall pick."

"Make the wise business decision, LeBron. Finish your career in Cleveland. I'm not saying this year, or next year. I'm not saying your career is going to end in the next 24 to 36 months. But come that 36 to 48-month period, three or four years from now, you've got to at least win the war of nostalgia. We talk about Dirk Nowitzki, the late, great Kobe Bryant, who finished their career with their teams. At least win the war of nostaglia."

While Cleveland might be on its own path, the trail was blazed by James.

All-time, "The King" leads the franchise in games played (849), points (23,119), rebounds (6,190), assists (6,228), steals (1,376), PER (27.0), win shares (154.1) and just about everything else.

Meaning, if James comes knocking, the Cavs might have no choice but to let their franchise icon in the door.