MIAMI -- Heat forward LeBron James wants to return to Cleveland this weekend -- not as a player, but as a spectator.

LeBron James wants to return to Cleveland when the Cavaliers retire Zydrunas Ilgauskas' No. 11 jersey on Saturday. Liam Kyle/Getty Images

James' longtime teammate Zydrunas Ilgauskas, whom James called "a dear friend" before he set a career-high with 61 points in Miami's 124-107 win against the Charlotte Bobcats on Monday, will have his No. 11 jersey retired by the Cavaliers on Saturday at Quicken Loans Arena.

"I want to be there, but we'll see. I'm not sure just yet," James said. "I think it's going to be a great day for my friend, a dear friend of mine. I'm excited for him."

After the Heat play Thursday in San Antonio, the team will have two days off on Friday and Saturday before playing in Chicago on Sunday. James and Ilgauskas played eight seasons together, seven in Cleveland and one in Miami, before Ilgauskas retired from the NBA in 2011.

Ilgauskas currently works in the Cavaliers' front office as a special assistant. Considering James' complicated history with the Cleveland faithful, would the reigning MVP's presence take attention away from Ilgauskas?

"I hope it doesn't, if I'm able to make it," James said. "It's not my day, it's not about me. It's about Z. But it wouldn't matter to me. Obviously I'm there for a dear friend, to be able to support him, if I'm able to make it, and that's the main thing."

James helped recruit Ilgauskas to Miami in the summer of 2010 after James left Cleveland. The Heat lost in the 2011 Finals to the Dallas Mavericks, the second time that James and Ilgauskas reached the Finals. Both ended without titles.

"It was very important (having him in Miami in 2010-11) and I came up short," James said. "Part of my whole inspiration bringing him (to Miami) was to try to win him an NBA championship. I tried to do it in Cleveland and came up short. I did it one year while he was here in Miami."