When LeBron James infamously “took his talents to South Beach” in the summer of 2010, it was the biggest sports story of the year (in a year with Tiger Woods’ sex scandal and the Giants’ first World Series victory since moving to San Francisco more that half a century earlier, no less) for all the wrong reasons. When LeBron James decided to back the the Cleveland Cavaliers, the team that drafted him and played in his home state of Ohio, in the summer of 2014, it was the biggest sports story of the year for all the right reasons. James is still the best player on the planet, as he was four years ago, but now he has two championship rings, two more MVP awards, and has grown up immensely since ripping Cleveland’s collective heart out on ESPN the way he did. This changes everything.
When LeBron did The Decision, it set a bad precedent for the NBA. Small markets like Cleveland had a short windows to win championships because star players would just leave when they hit free agency. If LeBron, a native of Akron, Ohio, wouldn’t stay in Cleveland, who would? During LeBron’s four years in Miami, the Cavs never made the playoffs, and earned the #1 overall pick three times. LeBron is now returning home, but there is more talent on the roster now than when he left it. He can be the veteran leadership the Kyrie Irving and Andrew Wiggins need, but those guys are good enough that he won’t have to do it all on his own. It’s about time things started to look up for Cleveland.
Even before LeBron went to Miami, Cleveland was a sports punchline in this country. They have not won a championship in any sport since the Browns were NFL Champions (before the Super Bowl Era) in 1964. The Indians last won the World Series in 1947, and the Cavaliers have never won it all. Bill Simmons popularized the phrase “God hates Cleveland” in his columns, and not even the futility of the Chicago Cubs or the Buffalo Bills could top the city of Cleveland. The only time the Cavs got close was in 2007 when a much younger LeBron James took a Cavs team that had no business being there to the NBA Finals, only to get swept by the San Antonio Spurs, the most dominant and most complete team of the current NBA era.
A big part of why LeBron left wasn’t just because the weather was warmer and the taxes were lower in Florida, but in Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh, James would have the opportunity to play with consistent All-Stat caliber players for the first time in his career. Basketball stars may have the most impact on a team’s success than individual players in any other sport (including quarterbacks in football, but with the possible exception of hockey goalies in certain cases), but even the biggest stars can’t do it alone. It’s still a team game. Michael Jordan had Scottie Pippin, and later Dennis Rodman. Magic Johnson had Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy. Larry Bird had Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, Nate “Tiny” Archibald, Dennis Johnson, and Bill Walton as Hall of Fame teammates on championship squads. Tim Duncan had David Robinson, currently has Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, and Patty Mills and 2014 Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard could very well be in the early stages of Hall of Fame careers as well. LeBron had no one like that in Cleveland for his first seven NBA seasons. The Cavs were one of the most poorly run organizations in basketball who got bailed out by their superstar every year to save face, and I’m still shocked that ex-Cavaliers GM Danny Ferry ever got another front office job (sorry, Atlanta Hawks fans).
Now, LeBron is coming back to make things right. He’s showing the kids of northeast Ohio that it’s not just a place to leave and never come back. He’s finishing what he started where it all began. Nothing like this has ever happened before in basketball, and I’ve been struggling to to find a comparable situation in the other sports. I superstar leaves in free agency, but goes back to the same small market where he started out while he’s still in his prime? The never happens. I’m also thrilled that he’s leaving Miami as much as I’m thrilled he’s returning to Cleveland. For four years the Heat acted like they were this innovative basketball powerhouse with a proud history because of their current success. That team could have happened anywhere, but Dwayne Wade was already in Miami, and he got James and Bosh to join him. Also, their fans were really lame. What kind of hard core fan base leaves early in an NBA Finals game when the team is down by five points, only to have Ray Allen drain a three to force overtime in front of a half-empty arena. Cleveland may not be a basketball town the way Boston or New York or Los Angeles or San Antonio is, but they’re still great fans. They keep showing up for the Browns every year. That takes dedication. LeBron is one of the ten best players in NBA history on anyone’s list, and the Cleveland fans will appreciate him more than Miami ever could.
More than anything else, the Re-Decision has fundamentally changed the way I view LeBron James. I can’t think of an athlete as established as LeBron having public opinion sway this much this late in their career for the better. Usually when there is a change of opinion this dynamic, it’s something like Lance Armstrong’s doping downfall or O.J. Simpson’s murder trial or Pete Rose’s gambling revelations, but this time LeBron changed the narrative on us, and it’s a good thing. The King is coming home, and we are all witness.
Dave's Words 