The Golden State Warriors were hoping to make a big splash in the offseason by signing LeBron James, who opted to leave the Los Angeles Lakers after eight seasons.

LeBron had eight teams on his destination list, including the Warriors.

The thought was that LeBron’s respect for Steph Curry and Steve Kerr, along with his friendship with Draymond Green, might be enough to persuade “The King” to come to “The Bay.”

Draymond stated that he made a strong pitch to LeBron when they hung out together in the offseason, and Curry revealed that he attempted to recruit LeBron during their outings together.

In the end, LeBron chose to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers, joining Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, and Jaylen Brown.

Why didn’t LeBron sign with the Warriors?

According to Draymond, history had a lot to do with it.

“He couldn’t get over the past, which is, ‘I battled these guys over and over again. What is that going to look like for me if I sign there? What type of beating will I get if I go there?’” Draymond said at Warriors media day.

LeBron, playing with the Cleveland Cavaliers at the time, battled the Warriors for four straight Finals from 2015 to 2018. The Warriors came out on top in three of the four Finals, but the one Cleveland championship was the most memorable of the four series.

Though the battles were a decade ago, LeBron seemingly felt some type of way about not joining, perhaps seeing what Kevin Durant went through when he joined the Warriors a month after they beat the Oklahoma City Thunder, Durant’s team at the time, in the Western Conference Finals.

LeBron’s agent Rich Paul, who provided insight on LeBron’s mindset almost weekly on his podcast, said that the Warriors were second on LeBron’s list behind the 76ers when he was making his final decision.

The reporting around LeBron’s decision always had the Warriors high up on the list, and they were viewed as his top destination in the Western Conference. The San Antonio Spurs, Denver Nuggets, and Minnesota Timberwolves were also on the list.

When he left the Lakers, LeBron stated he wanted to play competitive basketball, and while the Warriors are the last great dynasty, they’ve missed the playoffs in two of the last three seasons, including last season.

LeBron would’ve put Golden State closer to a championship, but they would’ve remained further away than a team like the Sixers.