LeBron James is currently playing in his 23rd NBA season, an all-time record. He has seen it all across his vast career, and by this point, he has his super fans and his haters. That was never more evident than back in 2010 when he made “The Decision,” a made-for-TV special to announce the results of his free agency. When he infamously told Jim Gray that he was taking his talents to South Beach, it inadvertently made him a villain to the Cavs fans he had just spurned.
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Love it or hate it, there’s no denying how impactful “The Decision” was. It set off a new age of player empowerment in the NBA, and it set LeBron on a course to winning his first two titles alongside Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. That Big 3 reached the Finals all four years they were together, winning twice, before LeBron went back to Cleveland.
In the newest episode of Mind the Game, LeBron told his cohost Steve Nash and special guest Timothée Chalamet that going to the Heat turned out to be a much bigger deal than simply switching basketball teams.
“A lot of people followed my journey once I was on the cover of Sports Illustrated at 16-and-a-half, 17,” he said. “I was on the national stage on ESPN at 17, and then I got drafted to basically my hometown team. I grew up in Akron, Ohio, 30 minutes south of Cleveand. So my first 25 years of existence was basically at home, so even when I was a professional for the Cavs, I was still living in Akron.”
That was comfortable and familiar for LeBron, but it also insulated him from the outside world. Once “The Decision” happened, that changed in a hurry.
“It took me to get uncomfortable going to Miami and experiencing something new for me to tap into something I didn’t even know I had, or I knew I wanted. I knew I wanted to win championships, but it took me to go to Miami to kind of learn myself,” the 4 time NBA champion revealed.
Going from the blue collar, mid-sized city of Akron to the neon glamour of Miami was quite a culture shock. “I don’t recommend anybody go to Miami at 25,” LeBron joked. “Yeah, you gotta have a strong mindset. I had a strong mindset. I don’t recommend anybody go to Miami at 25.”
We’ve seen star athletes go to places like Miami and fall off because they become more interested in the lifestyle than the work that it took to get there. LeBron said it for laughs, but there was definitely a kernel of truth in his advice. Making a change like that wouldn’t work for just anybody. Luckily for him though, his legendary work ethic carried him through.
