Lebron

[Athletix]

Cleveland or Miami ?

 

[LiveToLift]

Cleveland or Miami ?

I live 40 mins from cedar point. They offered to change the name of a roller coaster to "King James" if he comes back to Cleveland.

 

[Athletix]

I live 40 mins from cedar point. They offered to change the name of a roller coaster to "King James" if he comes back to Cleveland.

haha, whatever it takes

 

[LiveToLift]

haha, whatever it takes

Seems like a pretty desperate attempt haha

 

[Raw Dog]

I live 40 mins from cedar point. They offered to change the name of a roller coaster to "King James" if he comes back to Cleveland.

Cleveland fan?

 

[LiveToLift]

Cleveland fan?

Not at all. Detroit all the way.

 

[Raw Dog]

Not at all. Detroit all the way.

Ouch almost as bad haha. I grew up a little less than an hour south of cedar point, huge Cleveland sports fan. It's brutal

 

[Athletix]

Ouch almost as bad haha. I grew up a little less than an hour south of cedar point, huge Cleveland sports fan. It's brutal

It seems like Cleveland fans will be even more upset this go around if he stays in Miami? According to the radio anyway

 

[Raw Dog]

It seems like Cleveland fans will be even more upset this go around if he stays in Miami? According to the radio anyway

Eh I don't have my hopes up, would love to have him back though. Can't lie, all the lebron + k love talk has me excited. I'm not in love with Kyrie though, Iverson 2.0 no damn defense

 

[Rarchib]

I hope he goes back to Cleveland and gets booed his first home game. I hate him

 

[AntM1564]

I think he will go back to Cleveland. It is amazing how much those fans hated him after he left and now, they're doing a complete 180.

 

[LiveToLift]

I think he will go back to Cleveland. It is amazing how much those fans hated him after he left and now, they're doing a complete 180.

Incorrect. They still hate him. It's all over local news and social media. They actually hate him worse after seeing how big of a baby he is.

 

[Athletix]

Back to Cleveland!

 

[Rarchib]

No one in Cleveland is going to be hating him now

 

[Athletix]

No one in Cleveland is going to be hating him now

Definitely not lol

 

[AntM1564]

ESPN just had some interviews with people in Cleveland and they love him again. Usually people show up late to a Heat game, now nobody will show up at all. I like the decision. I never disliked LeBron after he left. I don't think he cares about getting 6 rings now, it is just to win 1 for his city.

 

[Athletix]

ESPN just had some interviews with people in Cleveland and they love him again. Usually people show up late to a Heat game, now nobody will show up at all. I like the decision. I never disliked LeBron after he left. I don't think he cares about getting 6 rings now, it is just to win 1 for his city.

I agree

 

[rsnake21]

Probably the most like able sports figure now. Great move on his part

 

[LiveToLift]

ESPN just had some interviews with people in Cleveland and they love him again. Usually people show up late to a Heat game, now nobody will show up at all. I like the decision. I never disliked LeBron after he left. I don't think he cares about getting 6 rings now, it is just to win 1 for his city.

Reading his essay changed my views on him tremendously. What a good read.

 

[AntM1564]

Reading his essay changed my views on him tremendously. What a good read.

I need to read it, I have seen excerpts though. From what I've seen, it seems like the way he did things was tearing him apart inside.

 

[LiveToLift]

I need to read it, I have seen excerpts though. From what I've seen, it seems like the way he did things was tearing him apart inside.

Exactly. I'll link you. Long read but worth it.

 

[LiveToLift]

"Before anyone ever cared where I would play basketball, I was a kid from Northeast Ohio. It's where I walked. It's where I ran. It's where I cried. It's where I bled. It holds a special place in my heart. People there have seen me grow up. I sometimes feel like I'm their son. Their passion can be overwhelming. But it drives me. I want to give them hope when I can. I want to inspire them when I can. My relationship with Northeast Ohio is bigger than basketball. I didn't realize that four years ago. I do now.

Remember when I was sitting up there at the Boys & Girls Club in 2010? I was thinking, This is really tough. I could feel it. I was leaving something I had spent a long time creating. If I had to do it all over again, I'd obviously do things differently, but I'd still have left. Miami, for me, has been almost like college for other kids. These past four years helped raise me into who I am. I became a better player and a better man. I learned from a franchise that had been where I wanted to go. I will always think of Miami as my second home. Without the experiences I had there, I wouldn't be able to do what I'm doing today.

I went to Miami because of D-Wade and CB. We made sacrifices to keep UD. I loved becoming a big bro to Rio. I believed we could do something magical if we came together. And that's exactly what we did! The hardest thing to leave is what I built with those guys. I've talked to some of them and will talk to others. Nothing will ever change what we accomplished. We are brothers for life. I also want to thank Micky Arison and Pat Riley for giving me an amazing four years.

I'm doing this essay because I want an opportunity to explain myself uninterrupted. I don't want anyone thinking: He and Erik Spoelstra didn't get along. ... He and Riles didn't get along. ... The Heat couldn't put the right team together. That's absolutely not true.

I'm not having a press conference or a party. After this, it's time to get to work.

When I left Cleveland, I was on a mission. I was seeking championships, and we won two. But Miami already knew that feeling. Our city hasn't had that feeling in a long, long, long time. My goal is still to win as many titles as possible, no question. But what's most important for me is bringing one trophy back to Northeast Ohio.

I always believed that I'd return to Cleveland and finish my career there. I just didn't know when. After the season, free agency wasn't even a thought. But I have two boys and my wife, Savannah, is pregnant with a girl. I started thinking about what it would be like to raise my family in my hometown. I looked at other teams, but I wasn't going to leave Miami for anywhere except Cleveland. The more time passed, the more it felt right. This is what makes me happy.

To make the move I needed the support of my wife and my mom, who can be very tough. The letter from Dan Gilbert, the booing of the Cleveland fans, the jerseys being burned -- seeing all that was hard for them. My emotions were more mixed. It was easy to say, "OK, I don't want to deal with these people ever again." But then you think about the other side. What if I were a kid who looked up to an athlete, and that athlete made me want to do better in my own life, and then he left? How would I react? I've met with Dan, face-to-face, man-to-man. We've talked it out. Everybody makes mistakes. I've made mistakes as well. Who am I to hold a grudge?

I'm not promising a championship. I know how hard that is to deliver. We're not ready right now. No way. Of course, I want to win next year, but I'm realistic. It will be a long process, much longer than it was in 2010. My patience will get tested. I know that. I'm going into a situation with a young team and a new coach. I will be the old head. But I get a thrill out of bringing a group together and helping them reach a place they didn't know they could go. I see myself as a mentor now and I'm excited to lead some of these talented young guys. I think I can help Kyrie Irving become one of the best point guards in our league. I think I can help elevate Tristan Thompson and Dion Waiters. And I can't wait to reunite with Anderson Varejao, one of my favorite teammates.

But this is not about the roster or the organization. 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."
-Lebron James

 

[Athletix]

Writing that was one of the best things he could have done. People will forget all about the "decision"

Have to admit, I was impressed

 

[Raw Dog]

Writing that was one of the best things he could have done. People will forget all about the "decision" Have to admit, I was impressed

I may or may not have cried just a little

 

[LiveToLift]

Writing that was one of the best things he could have done. People will forget all about the "decision" Have to admit, I was impressed

I may or may not have cried just a little

I actually thought it was a pretty damn good essay and read. I never really cared for him as a person but always respected him as a player. Now I can say I truly respect him as a person. He is actually a damn good role model. He portrays the best because he is the best. Doesn't get caught up partying or in any scandal. Is an extremely good family guy and now as you can see appears to have matured tremendously from that boy he wanted 6 rings leaving Cleveland.

 

[AntM1564]

That was very well written and it came from the heart. I have more respect for him.

 

[Athletix]

I actually thought it was a pretty damn good essay and read. I never really cared for him as a person but always respected him as a player. Now I can say I truly respect him as a person. He is actually a damn good role model. He portrays the best because he is the best. Doesn't get caught up partying or in any scandal. Is an extremely good family guy and now as you can see appears to have matured tremendously from that boy he wanted 6 rings leaving Cleveland.

Exactly

 

[thebigt]

i remember NBA basketbal:

oscar robertson
bill russell
jerry west
john havlicek
julius irving
magic johnson
larry bird
bernard king
kareem
clyde drexler
walt frazier
james worthy
pete maravich
wilt chamberlin
sidney moncief
carl malone
artis gilmore
bill cartwright
charles barkley
MICHAEL JORDAN

i was unfortunate enough to see most of those guys play in person, all of them on tv....ruined todays basketball for me!!! wouldn't give ten cents to see a chump like lebron. probably the most overated player of all time, imo.

 

[Wouggessed]

It's the first time I read that essay. I must admit, it really feels like its coming from his heart and he's on a mission. I hope he wins one for Cleveland.

 

[Athletix]

It's the first time I read that essay. I must admit, it really feels like its coming from his heart and he's on a mission. I hope he wins one for Cleveland.

They will be the team to beat in the East that's for sure

 

[Wouggessed]

They will be the team to beat in the East that's for sure

East has always been the weaker division since the Bulls era ended. I just hope Paul George recovers from that insane injury so that Pacers can at least pose a challenge in east division.