LeBron James Celebrates Brandon Weems’ Cleveland Cavaliers Promotion With Heartfelt Message
LeBron James celebrated childhood friend Brandon Weems after the Cleveland Cavaliers promoted him to general manager under Koby Altman.
LeBron James had a personal reason to celebrate Friday as his longtime friend Brandon Weems landed a major NBA front-office job. The Cleveland Cavaliers are promoting Weems to general manager under President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman.
ESPN's Shams Charania reported the move on September 18, with Weems taking over after Mike Gansey left Cleveland for the Philadelphia 76ers. James and Weems go back to their childhood days in Akron, where they played together at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School. James soon made his feelings clear on X.
LeBron James Reacts To Brandon Weems' Cavaliers Promotion
James did not need many words for the occasion. After Charania shared the news, James quote-tweeted the report and sent a message directly to his old friend.
“YESSIR!!!! Congratulations my brother @BrandonWeems10 !! Proud of you man,” James wrote. The short message showed just how much the promotion meant to him, especially since Weems has been part of his life since their school days in Akron.
Weems now moves into one of the biggest basketball jobs in Cleveland. He will work under Koby Altman and replaces Gansey, who left the Cavaliers during the offseason to become Philadelphia's president of basketball operations. The new role gives Weems another step up inside an organization he has known for years.
Brandon Weems Worked His Way Up Inside Cleveland
Weems' path to the GM chair did not happen overnight. He joined the Cavaliers in 2015 as a scout and later moved into bigger roles in the team's basketball operations department.
He became director of scouting in 2017, senior director of player personnel in 2021 and assistant general manager in February 2022. USA Today reported that Weems is a 2004 St. Vincent-St. Mary graduate who played high school basketball with James.
Now, a relationship that began on an Akron high school basketball court has another chapter in the NBA. James is no longer in Cleveland, but his longtime friend is moving into a key role with the Cavaliers, making Friday's promotion a personal moment for both men.