LeBron James had a reason to celebrate on Friday, and this time it had nothing to do with what happened on the basketball court.
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The Cleveland Cavaliers are promoting Brandon Weems to general manager under President Koby Altman, according to ESPN‘s Shams Charania. Weems has spent the past decade with the organization, working his way through scouting and personnel roles before becoming assistant GM in 2022.
The news also gave James a reason to celebrate someone he has known since his childhood in Akron. Weems is a childhood friend and former high school teammate of James at St. Vincent-St. Mary.
James reacted to the news on X, quote-tweeting Charania’s report with a short message for his longtime friend.
“YESSIR!!!! Congratulations my brother @BrandonWeems10 !! Proud of you man,” James wrote.
A Decade-Long Rise Through the Cavaliers Front Office
Weems joined the Cavaliers as a scout in 2015 and continued moving through the organization’s basketball operations department. He later became director of scouting and senior director of player personnel before being promoted to assistant general manager in February 2022.
Now, Weems moves into the GM role under Altman. He replaces Mike Gansey, who left Cleveland earlier this year to become president of basketball operations for the Philadelphia 76ers.
The move adds another chapter to a relationship that started long before either man reached the NBA. Weems and James grew up in Akron and played together at St. Vincent-St. Mary, while their careers eventually took them into different parts of the basketball world.
For James, Weems’ promotion was more than another front-office move around the league. His brief message made clear that he was celebrating the career progress of someone he has known since childhood.