TCA 2014: LeBron James brings heat to Cleveland, not press tour

Basketball star LeBron James’ decision to return to the Cleveland Caveliers after a championship stint with the Miami Heat was the top story in the sports world Friday.

Guess he had something else to do rather than show up for a panel to tout one of his non-basketball projects.

James had been scheduled to appear via satellite at the Television Critics Assn. press tour at the Beverly Hilton to promote Starz’s new basketball-themed comedy, “Survivor’s Remorse,” which lists him as an executive producer.

Not surprisingly, the hoops superstar chose not to bring his talents to Beverly Hills on Friday. His name had been removed from the panel discussion several days ago, and the stars and executive producers of “Survivor’s Remorse” carried on without him.

“He was busy,” said executive producer Mike O’Malley with a smile. “That was unexpected.”

“Survivor’s Remorse” is about Cam Calloway (Jesse T. Usher), a basketball phenom in his early 20s who is thrust into the spotlight after signing a multimillon-dollar contract with a pro basketball team in Atlanta. Cam, along with his cousin and confidant Reggie Vaughn (Ronreaco Lee), move to Georgia to start Cam’s journey to stardonm but encounter several obstacles, including the challenges of supporting opportunistic family members and dealing with their strong ties to the impoverished community where they grew up.

Executive producer Maverick Carter said James was involved “in the overall concept and has been supporting it, knowing what the concept is and what the themes are about.”