LeBron Brazil-bound after Miami stop

— -- LeBron James boarded a flight from Las Vegas to Miami on Thursday night after spending most of the week at his LeBron James Skills Academy, according to sources close to the situation.

James is planning to fly from Miami to Brazil for Sunday's World Cup final. His scheduled flights from Las Vegas to Miami and then Brazil had been planned for more than a month, a source said.

The trip back to Miami should not be read as a sign of the superstar free agent's decision on where he'll play next season, according to a source.

Earlier Thursday, James was joined at his skills academy for the nation's top high school and college players by his Miami Heat teammate of four years, Dwyane Wade, who also is a free agent. The two were spotted chatting and watching a pickup game together.

A source confirmed that Wade also accompanied James on the flight back to Miami on Thursday night.

James and his agent, Rich Paul, met with Heat officials for more than an hour Wednesday afternoon in Las Vegas, sources told ESPN.com. The Heat were represented by team president Pat Riley and general manager Andy Elisburg.

It was the first known face-to-face meeting James has held since officially becoming a free agent on July 1. James' agent met or spoke with officials from the Mavericks, Rockets, Suns, Cavaliers and Lakers last week, but James was not present.

James and Paul are done meeting with teams for now, according to sources close to the situation.

The four-time league MVP will take time to talk with his family before making his free-agency choice, the sources said. There is no timetable for his decision, but with him planning to attend the World Cup final, one before then seems likely.

The mere prospect of an announcement has created a buzz seemingly throughout the country.

In Bath Township, Ohio, on Thursday, cars lined the streets near James' 30,000-square-foot mansion in anticipation of a decision. People posed for photographs and TV news crews did remote reports from the driveway of his offseason home.

Information from ESPN.com's Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst and the Associated Press was used in this report.