LeBron James a no-show at pizza party celebrating LA arrival

CULVER CITY, California — Hundreds of fans hoping to see new Los Angeles Laker LeBron James on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila) had to make do with free pizza instead.

James was a no-show at the Blaze Pizza outlet in Culver City, California. The NBA superstar tweeted a day earlier about a “pizza party” at the location and fans hoped it was a hint that he might attend.

James is an investor in the pizza chain. Blaze gave away pizzas at Southern California locations for three hours to celebrate his move from the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Lakers, which was made official on Monday.

The first fan in line at the Culver City store, Janet Raines, arrived at 7:30 a.m. and waited for hours.

“If he doesn’t show up, I won’t be disappointed. I know he’s busy, trying to spend time with his family before the season starts,” Raines said.

Rick Wetzel, a co-founder of Blaze Pizza, said the chain expected to give away up to 1,500 pies at the Culver City location alone.