IronPigs make push to land LeBron in free agency
LeBron James is often compared to Michael Jordan, but his legacy in pursuit of His Airness is lacking one critical component.
James never played minor league baseball.
Enter the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies, who will be holding an #LVWants LeBron Night three days before the start of NBA free agency.
James, should he decide in utter frustration to put himself not only off of J.R. Smith’s team but out of Smith’s sport after the shooting guard blew a chance to polish off the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of the NBA Finals …
The internet is absolutely amazing pic.twitter.com/cvizzJnhzh
— FOST (@GeorgeFoster72) June 1, 2018
… will not only follow in Jordan’s footsteps but get an instant tick on the argument checklist because Jordan only played Double-A ball — with the Birmingham Barons in the Chicago White Sox farm system — while James would get to play Triple-A ball.
Of course, another case of his team squandering a 51-point, eight-rebound, eight-assist cri de coeur might well behoove James to quit not just the Cavaliers and not just the sport of basketball but possibly put an ocean between himself and Smith. Hello, Nippon Ham Fighters!
Meanwhile, in the U.S., the IronPigs have stepped up their blitz to recruit the NBA great.
“We have a huge advantage, because these NBA rules, it’s tampering if they reach out to LeBron James between now and July 1,” team president Kurt Landes told MiLB.com’s Benjamin Hill. “We have a seven-week head start over the Cavs and the Sixers and the Lakers to recruit LeBron James. So I think it’s a huge competitive window for us.”
The IronPigs’ Lebron Night will feature various NBA and James-themed activities, the team said in a news release. Fans who come to the game wearing a James jersey will even receive a free Sprite.
So far in the basketball world, Philadelphia has put up billboards expressing their interest in James’ services, while Chris Paul of the Rockets has reportedly privately reached out to the star to join him and James Harden, who fell just short of the Finals after collapsing in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals against the Warriors.
The IronPigs bought a billboard of their own.
Our Pitch:
If @KingJames really wants to catch MJ, he needs to spend a season in Minor League Baseball.
Choose the IronPigs this summer.#LVWantsLeBron pic.twitter.com/voD2hxYT1I
— Lehigh Valley IronPigs (@IronPigs) May 10, 2018
They also envisioned James in an IronPigs jersey.
Bacon looks good on you, @KingJames. https://t.co/CtHOpAa20F#LVWantsLeBron pic.twitter.com/vPQK4ZiAEp
— Lehigh Valley IronPigs (@IronPigs) May 12, 2018
And they made explicit parallels to Jordan:
LeBron will never be on MJ's level until he struggles through a summer of @MiLB games. https://t.co/CtHOpAa20F
— Lehigh Valley IronPigs (@IronPigs) May 10, 2018
And even though this is a cheeky publicity stunt to drum up interest in the Lehigh Valley minor league ballclub, it does leave open one intriguing possibility.
After all, should James decide he wants to have a little fun this summer while he mulls over his new “Decision,” taking a few cuts during batting practice and meeting with fans on LeBron Night would certainly give the media something to talk about and the kids in the Bethlehem-Allentown metropolitan area a great night at the ballpark, all while possibly raising some money for charity.
Ball’s in your court, LeBron. The Finals will be over on June 17 if they go seven games, so there’s plenty of time to get to the old ballgame.
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