LeBron James reveals daughter Zhuri is driving force in NBA free agency decision

We just got our biggest clue about LeBron James’ free-agency decision. One person has more influence over him than anyone else. It’s not his close friend Draymond Green, who had his ear during recent travels.Nor Steph Curry, who made a pitch for him to join the Warriors on “Good Morning America.”It’s not Giannis Antetokounmpo, the 31-year-old superstar who was traded to Miami last month.

Nor Heat team president Pat Riley, who after acquiring Antetokounmpo said, “There’s another [plane] we have to land.”It’s not Brandon Weems, James’ childhood friend who’s now an assistant general manager for the Cavaliers.Or Tyrese Maxey, who’s leading the 76ers’ pursuit of the megastar. So, who is it?“It’s my almost 12-year-old daughter who is pulling the weight a lot,” James said during a conversation with Rich Kleiman at Fanatics Fest on Thursday. Yes, the fate of arguably the greatest NBA player of all time lies in the hands of a middle schooler.James is 41 years old and has played an unprecedented 23 NBA seasons.

He knows better than anyone the sacrifice greatness requires.He still shows up to practice facilities three hours early.

He still arrives at arenas five hours before tipoff. So, when he decided to leave the Lakers after eight seasons — his longest consecutive stretch anywhere in his career — his professional and personal goals collided. It meant he would not only be away from his family because he wholeheartedly devotes himself to the sport, but for the first time in his career he’d likely be in a different city than them. Zhuri is his main concern. His wife, Savannah, signed up for this life.As for his sons? Bronny is almost 22 and plays for the Lakers.

Bryce is 19 and plays for Arizona. Zhuri has lived in Los Angeles since she was a preschooler.It’s where her friends are.

It’s where she’s becoming a volleyball star.Uprooting her would be extremely difficult. That’s why it’s hard to imagine James choosing...