LeBron, others cancel ‘Homecoming Tour’

Associated Press

With the NBA lockout over, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and other stars have canceled their “Homecoming Tour.” They’ve got to get ready for other games.

The four-city tour was supposed to open in James’ hometown of Akron on Thursday, but that game and three others have been scrapped now that the league and its players have a tentative labor agreement.

“We are thrilled that a tentative agreement has been reached and are looking forward to getting back to work and playing basketball,” Wade said in a statement. “We all want to reconnect with our teams to make sure we hit the ground running when training camps are expected to open on December 9. Our commitment to helping children and the communities doesn’t stop, and the daily work of our foundations to do just this will continue, as always.”

James and Wade, along with good friends, Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony had games scheduled in Akron, New Orleans, Chicago and East Rutherford, N.J. Proceeds from the tour were to benefit the four headlining players’ charitable foundations. The four superstars still plan to hold a charity event on Tuesday in New York.

Organizers for the canceled tour said tickets will be fully refunded at the point of purchase.

Owners and union officials reached agreement to end the 149-day lockout on Saturday following a marathon bargaining session. Players must still approve the deal, and once they do, training camps and free agency will open simultaneously on Dec. 9. The plan is for a 66-game season to begin on Christmas Day.

The season would run through April 26 and require teams to play at least one set of back-to-back games if a new labor deal is ratified in time to start on Christmas.

The league posted an outline of what the schedule would look like on its Twitter pages Sunday. The plan is a 66-game regular season, ending about 10 days later than usual. The last possible day of the NBA finals would be June 26.