LeBron James will temporarily assume the role of Mr. Cub.
James is going to the Cavaliers game on Friday in Chicago, where the team will play the Bulls. He is wearing a Cubs cap, jersey, pants, and socks to fulfill a wager he lost to his close friend Dwyane Wade on the World Series.
James and Wade, the former Miami teammate and Chicago native who is back to play in his hometown this season, struck up a friendly bet on the Series between the Cleveland Indians and Cubs. The Cubs overcame a 3-1 deficit to win their first championship since 1908, while the Indians were defeated in seven games.
James declared, “I’m not wearing cleats,” following the Cavaliers’ morning shoot-around on Thursday. “I have a basketball match to attend. Not a glove. only the clothes. I’ll be dressed in uniform.
It will be quite the sight to see 6-foot-8, 250-pound LeBron James crowned SI’s Sportsperson of the Year for a second time. James isn’t built like a baseball player.
It’s a wager, he declared. “You have to win the wager. Nothing else regarding it.
Since James guided the Cavs to the NBA championship in June, ending Cleveland’s 52-year championship drought, it’s been a little bit simpler to cash in on his wager.
During their four seasons together in Miami, James and Wade helped the Heat win two championships and make it to the Finals four times in a row. Wade, who joined Chicago as a free agent last summer, will be wearing a different jersey, according to James.
“It’s going to be pretty cool, not only just because he’s in a different uniform but just him being back home and understanding what his journey is right now,” said James. “I think it’s more than just basketball for himself, being back home in Chicago.”