LeBron James joined Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami yesterday (Thurs., Jul. 8) in the most talked about trades in NBA history.
Ending weeks of will-he-or-won’t-he speculation, the two-time MVP said Thursday night that he’s decided to join the Heat and leave the Cavaliers after an unsuccessful seven-year quest for the ring he covets.
“I can’t say it was always in my plans, because I never thought it was possible,” James said on a made-for-LeBron live show on ESPN. “But the things that the Miami Heat franchise have done, to free up cap space and be able to put themselves in a position this summer to have all three of us, it was hard to turn down. Those are two great players, two of the greatest players that we have in this game today.”
“Winning is a huge thing for me,” James said from a studio in Greenwich, Conn., where an audience of kids from the Boys and Girls Club was present for the announcement.
It’s a huge victory for the Heat, which got commitments from Wade and Bosh on Wednesday. That duo, along with James, formed the upper echelon of the most-celebrated free-agent period in league history.
Riley landed them all, a three-pack of stars to help shape his quest for a dynasty in Miami.
“There’s magic in the number 3,” Wade said, a nod to his jersey number.
Riley said in a statement the Heat were “thrilled” to add Bosh and James to a roster that already features Wade.
“We are looking forward to the opportunity of building something that our fans in Miami will be proud of for a long, long time,” Riley said. “The journey is just beginning.”
And for Cleveland, a city scorned for generations by some of sports’ biggest letdowns, James’ long-awaited words represented a defeat perhaps unlike any other.
James is gone. Home sweet home no more.
He said he made the decision Thursday morning and knows it won’t go over well in Ohio.
They can have mixed emotions, of course,” James said, adding that Akron will “always be home for me.”
Cleveland owner Dan Gilbert, in a letter to fans on the Cavs’ website, never mentions James by name, only referring to his nicknames in quotes and lambasting his former superstar for the way he announced his decision.
“This was announced with a several day, narcissistic, self-promotional build-up culminating with a national TV special of his ‘decision’ unlike anything ever ‘witnessed’ in the history of sports and probably the history of entertainment.
“Clearly, this is bitterly disappointing to all of us,” Gilbert said in the letter.
“The good news is that the ownership team and the rest of the hard-working, loyal, and driven staff over here at your hometown Cavaliers have not betrayed you nor NEVER will betray you.”
Gilbert, who has owned the Cavs for five years, said James’ decision was a “cowardly betrayal” and called James the “self-titled former ‘King'” and promised the No. 1 pick in the 2003 draft would be “taking the [Cleveland] ‘curse’ with him down south.”
Despite James’ departure, Gilbert guaranteed future success for his franchise.
“I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE THAT THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS WILL WIN AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THE SELF-TITLED FORMER ‘KING’ WINS ONE,” Gilbert declared. “You can take it to the bank.”
James’ new home — part-time or otherwise — wasted no time in beginning the celebration. Horns honked outside the arena and on Miami Beach, where Wade was watching the announcement with members of his inner circle.
“It’s going to be crazy,” Wade said.
Bosh used Twitter to show his excitement, posting “It’s madness out here! I’m on cloud 9 right now! This is like a dream come true to play with @dwadeofficial [Dwyane Wade] and @kingjames [LeBron James]!”
In Cleveland, the immediate reaction was predictably filled with outrage. “The Decision,” the name of the prime-time, hour-long special James and his team of advisers brokered with ESPN, now joins “The Drive,” “The Shot” and “The Fumble” in Cleveland’s sports hall of shame.
Cleveland fans, so accustomed to disappointment, have been let down again — this time by one of their sons.
Not long after James’ decision was announced, one of his jerseys was shown being burned in the city’s streets.
“I can’t get involved in that,” he said. “I wanted to do what was best for LeBron James … At the end of the day, I feel awful. I feel even worse that I wasn’t able to bring an NBA championship to that city. I never wanted to leave Cleveland. My heart will always be around that area. But I also felt like this is the greatest challenge for me.”
Information from Espn.com contributed to this report.