Inside the sterile dissolution of the LeBron-Lakers marriage - ESPN

THERE ARE, BY one recent count, 46 items banned from the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club during the two-week tournament from Wimbledon. Among them are selfie sticks, which left superagent Rich Paul with a dilemma as he tried Tuesday afternoon to co-host the «Game Over» podcast he does with Max Kellerman from the venue.

Cell phones must be placed on silent during matches, and no calls are permitted from the stands. So earlier in the day Tuesday, when Paul needed to call Lakers president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka to inform him that his star client, LeBron James, would be continuing his basketball career elsewhere, he stepped into the Polo by Ralph Lauren store in the Southern Village to make the call.

For a week, neither James' camp nor the Lakers had exchanged formal or even informal offers, according to sources on both sides of the situation.

Nor had they discussed a vision for a future together, or even met face-to-face — in person or virtually.

The Lakers called Paul a week before free agency, when teams could approach their own free agents, to try to arrange a videoconference with James and were told he wasn't available.

Paul didn't say why at the time, but he told ESPN it was because James had already decided he didn't want to return to the Lakers and that there was no need for a call.

The Lakers had approached all of their free agents in a similar manner. After an initial videoconference with Austin Reaves, an elaborate pitch meeting was scheduled at the team's facility.

Customized pillows and blankets were designed and presented to Reaves. Steaks were ordered in. His favorite country music was played. Soon afterward, he agreed to a new four-year, $185 million deal.

James didn't want any of that.