LeBron James jokes about not having to stay in a Newark hotel now that Nets ... - New York Daily News

John Paul Filo

LeBron James ‘kisses his baby’ during Tuesday appearance with David Letterman.

When LeBron James and the Heat hit the road to defend their NBA championship next season they won’t be making any stops in Newark, and that’s just fine with the Finals MVP.

James’ victory parade continued Tuesday night as he paid a visit to David Letterman, who chatted James up about how his life has changed since he’s won a title.

But the interview took a funny turn Letterman asked James what the Nets’ move to Brooklyn next season means to the champs.

“Now that the New Jersey Jets have moved to Brooklyn, what ...”

“The Jets?” James asked, cutting off Letterman.

“The Nets, rather,” Letterman continued. “Now that the Nets have moved to Brooklyn, what does that do to you and your teammates?”

“Uh, it does absolutely nothing to me and my teammates,” James said with a chuckle.

“Does it mean you don’t have to fly into Newark?”

“And we don’t have to stay in a hotel in Newark either. We get to be in Brooklyn and have some good times,” James said.

Letterman ribbed James â€" who was clearly relaxed as he continued to bask in the glow of his first championship â€" about having to leave Game 4 of the Finals against Oklahoma City due to cramps, taking a photo with a newlywed couple over the weekend and his departure from the Cavaliers.

“Well, now that you’ve got this out of your system are you ready to go back to Cleveland and play some ball?” Letterman joked in his first question to the 28-year-old forward, who took the needling in stride.

James said that he and his teammates came together over the last two seasons as he faced criticism for the way he left Cleveland, the team that drafted him No. 1 overall in 2003. He also said that watching Michael Jordan, the player he’s often compared to, struggle early in his career helped him remain positive after losing in his two prior trips to the Finals.

When asked if the championship would have been sweeter if he won it with the Cavs, James didn’t take the bait.

“I think, the feeling I had on Thursday, I could have been on Mars and won that championship,” James said. “It felt amazing. It was better than I expected.”