LeBron James made his much-anticipated “Decision 2.0” on Friday afternoon, when he announced that he would be signing with the Cleveland Cavaliers. After bailing on the Cavs to join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami four years ago, LeBron returns to his home state of Ohio to play for the team that drafted him first overall back in 2003.
Unlike the first, there were no cameras or ESPN hour-long special for this “Decision” – the announcement was made by James through Lee Jenkins on Sports Illustrated’s website. But it still marks a monumental day for the landscape of basketball as well as the landscape of Cleveland sports, which hasn’t experienced a championship season in any sport since 1964, when the Browns won the NFL Championship (pre-Super Bowl era).
From his SI piece:
My relationship with Northeast Ohio is bigger than basketball. I didn’t realize that four years ago. I do now.
…
I feel my calling here goes above basketball. I have a responsibility to lead, in more ways than one, and I take that very seriously. My presence can make a difference in Miami, but I think it can mean more where I’m from. I want kids in Northeast Ohio, like the hundreds of Akron third-graders I sponsor through my foundation, to realize that there’s no better place to grow up. Maybe some of them will come home after college and start a family or open a business. That would make me smile. Our community, which has struggled so much, needs all the talent it can get.In Northeast Ohio, nothing is given. Everything is earned. You work for what you have.
I’m ready to accept the challenge. I’m coming home.
Though he’ll be greeted by thousands of ecstatic Cavs fans with open arms, you’ll likely remember that those same fans were quick to paint LeBron as a villain and a traitor when he left for Miami back in 2010. Their anger was understandable; not only did the homegrown superstar spurn their team and their city, he dragged it out and plunged the dagger in a very public fashion.
Their bitterness towards James never seemed to fade through the years, and they likely never imagined that James – who grew up in Akron – would opt out of his deal with the Heat and return home at the first opportunity, especially after reaching the NBA Finals in all four seasons in South Beach.
But it’s a decision that makes a lot of sense for James. Not only does he get the chance to win back the fans and city he spurned a handful of years ago, he also has a very real chance at bringing glory to his long-suffering hometown.
LeBron returns to Cleveland with two NBA titles under his belt and joins arguably the most talented roster he’s ever played with in a Cavs uniform. With James teaming up with fellow top-overall picks Kyrie Irving (2011), Anthony Bennett (2013) and Andrew Wiggins (2014) – plus the rumors of a Kevin Love deal – the Cavaliers are Vegas favorites to win it all next season.
Interestingly enough, though, James mentioned an eagerness to play with Irving, Tristan Thompson, Dion Waiters and Anderson Varejao (who he called “one of his favorite teammmates”) but made no mention whatsoever of Wiggins, a player he has publicly admired in the past. Could that be a hint that Wiggins may not be long for Cleveland?
As strange as it sounds, it’s a great time to be a Cleveland sports fan. Not only do the Cavs defy the odds and win the lottery to draft the guy widely-hailed as the “best prospect since LeBron James” in Wiggins, but they also manage to bring back James himself. Plus, the Browns are just a few months removed from drafting Johnny Manziel. Not bad, Cleveland…not bad.
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