On Thursday, several members of the Cleveland Cavaliers, including LeBron James, visited some of Napa Valley’s finest wineries for a spot of tasting and dining.
After touring the cellars, James, who will be celebrating his 33rd birthday in Utah on Saturday night, took part in a practice with his teammates at a local high school.
“The crazy part about it, it’s probably one of the best practices we’ve had all year, energy-wise and guys wanting to do it,” Cavs head coach Tyronn Lue told Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. “It was really a good practice. When we said we was going to scrimmage for Isaiah (Thomas), the guys perked up and they were ready to play. So maybe we should come back here after every game if the guys are going to practice like that.”
Following Friday’s practice, James was asked to comment on the Cavs’ team outing in Napa Valley.
“You guys see us every day — just imagine that with a lot of wine,” James said with a smile. “It wasn’t nothing like anything happened and we’re like, ‘Oh, we’ve got to keep that secret.’ We all hung together as a whole organization, teammates … we were all together. We had a heckuva time. I’ve got some really good friends out here who own some great vineyards and some great grapes and they allowed us to tour some of their great places.”
Cavs big man Channing Frye, one of the funnier members of the Cavs’ rotation, documented portions of the team’s trip on his Snapchat account.
The Cavs will look to get back into the win column on Saturday night, when they face off against the Utah Jazz at 8:00 p.m. EST. Fox Sports Ohio will have live broadcast coverage. Let’s see if James turns it up a notch for his birthday, as he’s repeatedly done in the past.
