In July 2010, LeBron James had the entire nation glued to their televisions after he decided to go with the unconventional route of announcing his free agency decision on a live broadcast on ESPN. By the time he was ready to announce his decision, the teams involved in the LeBron James sweepstakes, including the Cleveland Cavaliers, knew his team of choice.
Advertisement
Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert was miffed at James abandoning his team and tried to sabotage the grand reveal by asking journalist Brian Windhorst to tweet the superstar’s decision before he announced it on TV. In the book LeBron Inc., Windhorst wrote:
“I got a text message from Cavs owner Dan Gilbert. He was telling me that the Cavs had been told LeBron was signing in Miami, and he encouraged me to publicize it to undercut the show. It was far too late for that. There were more than 10 million people watching at that point.”
Windhorst rejected Gilbert’s request, claiming it was too late to pull off that maneuver. He explained that the broadcast had ten million viewers glued to their TVs, and the journalist had only 30,000 followers. Tweeting James’ decision minutes before he announced it wouldn’t have made a difference. Windhorst had already written a story that the Cavaliers superstar had decided to join the Heat before he went on TV to announce his decision. The journalist claims he was relieved to learn from Gilbert that James hadn’t changed his decision and he was indeed taking his talents to South Beach and joining the Miami Heat.
After James announced his decision, Gilbert posted an open letter on the team’s official website. He called James’ public announcement “narcissistic” and claimed he had “cowardly betrayed” his hometown. In a telephonic interview with the Associated Press, the Cavaliers owner accused James of quitting on the team during their 4-2 series loss to the Boston Celtics in the 2010 playoffs. He said:
“He quit. Not just in Game 5, but in Games 2, 4 and 6. Watch the tape. The Boston series was unlike anything in the history of sports for a superstar.”
In the open letter, Gilbert wrote that James was cursed, and he was taking it to South Beach with him. He guaranteed the Cavaliers would win an NBA championship before their former superstar did. James went to four NBA Finals in his four seasons with the Heat, winning two titles. The Cavaliers had 19, 21, 24, and 33 wins during that same span. They did not make the playoffs even once and had the first pick in the draft twice. The Cavaliers had their first winning season since James’ final year with the team during the 2014-15 campaign. That was James’ first season since leaving the Heat and returning to Cleveland.
Gilbert’s lofty claims fell flat, and he had to tuck his tail between his legs when the hometown hero made his triumphant return. Unlike the Cavaliers owner, James lived up to his promise and led the Cavaliers to their first NBA title win in 2016, doing so in fashion too, as the team became the first in NBA Finals history to come back from a 3-1 deficit.
LeBron James recalls his first trip to Cleveland as a Heat player
In the 2018 offseason, James left the Cavaliers again and moved to California to join the Los Angeles Lakers. Just over a month into the regular season, the Lakers were scheduled to play the Cavaliers in Cleveland. Ahead of his first game against his former team as a Laker, he interviewed with ESPN and recalled his first trip to Cleveland as a Heat. He said:
“It was something that nobody had ever seen before. Everybody knew the emotions behind it. Cable television made sure that they captured every moment. It was an eerie feeling, just going back. It was an uncomfortable feeling going back because of the situation.”
James was booed every time he touched the ball. Despite the hostile atmosphere, he delivered a masterclass, scoring 38 points, dishing eight assists, and grabbing five rebounds in a 28-point blowout win for the Heat.
James’ first trip to Cleveland as a Laker wasn’t nearly as hostile. Unlike 2010, when he was booed as soon he entered the court, the Cavaliers welcomed their hero back with open arms, giving him a standing ovation as he made his way onto the court. But like in 2010, James was ruthlessly effective. He scored 32 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, and dished seven assists in a 109-105 win for the Lakers.
James and the Cavaliers will forever be intertwined with each other. He’ll likely get a statue outside the team’s arena once he retires and his jersey will forever hang in the rafters. He gave it his all for the franchise in his 11 seasons with them and helped the city win its maiden NBA title. His first exit hurt his relationship with the fans and the city, but his triumphant return made up for it, and then some. He is now, once and for all, seen as a hero by the entire state of Ohio.
