Ten years ago, LeBron James announced his decision to take his ‘talents to South Beach and join the Miami Heat.’ ‘The decision’ ended his 7-year stint with his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers and quickly became one of the most controversial moments in NBA history.
Source - miami.cbslocal.com
But first, we must hear the back story, to understand the significance of this moment.
When James was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003, his popularity grew as Cleveland's hometown hero. He was the first overall pick, won the Rookie of the Year award and he single handedly made his team a championship contender. James' popularity kept growing as he won two consecutive NBA MVP awards in 2009 and 2010. However, James had promised to bring a Championship home to Cleveland and had not yet done so. After the 2010 season, James hit free agency and was in a position to decide what he would do with the next stage of his career, Many believed he would choose to stay in Cleveland and try to deliver a championship. Then came ‘the decision’ on July 8th 2010,
LeBron announced ‘The Decision’ on live national television, in an ESPN special filmed in Connecticut. In anticipation, fans lined the streets outside the building where the show was being taped. Over 13 million people watched live, and fans immediately protested the decision. Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert wrote an open letter to fans on the franchise website referring to the decision as a ‘cowardly betrayal’. Suddenly, Cleveland’s beloved hometown hero, who had promised to win them a championship, became a backstabbing villain and Cavaliers fans didn’t hesitate to display their anger and disappointment. Thousands of fans gathered outside various bars in the city to burn their LeBron James jerseys.
Fans reacted saying the move was like a slap in the face to the city of Cleveland, who had rooted for and supported LeBron since his highschool days. To go on live television and announce the decision the way LeBron did was seen as an arrogant betrayal.
Source - miro.medium.com
The backlash from his hometown fans affected LeBron personally, but he did not let it affect his game. As we know now, LeBron had a very successful 4-year stint with the Miami Heat, where he won 2 league MVPs, 2 finals MVPs and 2 NBA championships. The superstar trio of Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade and LeBron James changed the NBA landscape and dominated the league during its 4 years of existence. Winning the NBA Championship, which had eluded him during his 7 years at Cleveland, gave LeBron the confidence to finally return to Cleveland in 2014 and fulfill his initial promise.
In 2016, LeBron led the Cavaliers to their first NBA Championship in franchise history after coming back from a 3-1 deficit to the Warriors and ended Cleveland’s 52-year professional Sports title drought. After 13 years in the NBA and 8 seasons with the Cavaliers, he was finally able to fulfill his promise, win back the Cavaliers fans and become the hometown hero that he was destined to be.
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