"first team ever to rally from a 3–1 deficit to win an NBA Finals. It was the city's first major professional sports title in 52 years. Following ""The Decision"", ""Forbes"" listed James as one of the world's most disliked athletes. The Decision (TV special) The Decision was a television special in which National Basketball Association (NBA) player LeBron James announced that he would be signing with the Miami Heat instead of returning to his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers. It was broadcast live on ESPN on July 8, 2010. James was an unrestricted free agent after playing seven seasons in Cleveland, where"
"Award in 2009 and 2010. However, after falling short of the championship expectations set by the media, fans, and himself, James departed Cleveland in 2010 as a free agent to sign with the Miami Heat. This move was announced in an ESPN special titled ""The Decision"", and is one of the most controversial free agent decisions in American sports history. In Miami, James won his first NBA championship in 2012, and followed that with another title a year later. He was named league MVP and NBA Finals MVP in both championship years. In 2014, James opted out of his contract"
"more popular in many places around the world, most noticeably China. Further championships in 2009 and 2010 helped raise his popularity. In 2015, he announced the following season would be his last. He would have played in 20 seasons by then. Another player who revolutionized the game of basketball was LeBron James. He was taken as the first overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers, and has worked his way to become the face of the NBA and basketball around the world. He left the Cavaliers in 2010 to join the Miami Heat along with fellow"
"high school basketball standout and future four-time NBA MVP LeBron James being the consensus number one pick in that year's draft, there was some speculation as to whether or not that year's lottery was rigged in favor of the Cavaliers, due to James being a native of nearby Akron, Ohio. Following James' departure for the Miami Heat in 2010, the Cavaliers would be involved in further speculation in regards to winning three out of four NBA drafts between 2011 and 2014, some of which included the idea of LeBron James returning to the Cavaliers altogether from these drafts; James would"
"in the NBA in total attendance with 726,935. Entering the 2010–2011 season with nearly $48 million in salary cap space, the Heat caused a major power shift during the blockbuster 2010 NBA Free Agency, adding both Chris Bosh and LeBron James with local superstar Dwyane Wade, whom they had re-signed to a six-year, $107.59 million contract. During his infamous Decision, broadcast on ESPN, James announced he would take his ""talents to South Beach and join the Miami Heat"", which triggered a volatile fusillade of anger, primarily from Cleveland fans; Cavaliers' owner Dan Gilbert released an over-the-top letter that reeked of"
"of 2010, former Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James became a free agent. After being courted by many teams (including both the Knicks and Heat), he announced his decision to join the Miami Heat on national television on July 8, 2010. Much to the frustration of Knicks fans, and the Knicks had spent the last two seasons re-engineering their roster to accommodate James' potential contract. Earlier that week, former Phoenix Suns forward Amar'e Stoudemire announced his intention to sign with the New York Knicks. A new era of the rivalry was born. On December 17, 2010, the Knicks and Heat met"
"LeBron James to Cleveland. On July 11, 2014, James revealed via a first-person essay in ""Sports Illustrated"" that he intended to return to the Cavaliers. In contrast to ""The Decision"", his announcement to return to Cleveland was well received. A day later, he officially signed with the team, who had compiled a league-worst 97–215 record in the four seasons following his departure. A month after James' signing, the Cavaliers acquired Kevin Love from the Minnesota Timberwolves, forming a new star trio along with Kyrie Irving. The Cavaliers struggled over the first two months of the 2014–15 season. They were 19–16"
"The Decision (TV special) The Decision was a television special in which National Basketball Association (NBA) player LeBron James announced that he would be signing with the Miami Heat instead of returning to his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers. It was broadcast live on ESPN on July 8, 2010. James was an unrestricted free agent after playing seven seasons in Cleveland, where he was a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player and a six-time All-Star. He grew up in nearby Akron, Ohio, where he received national attention as a high school basketball star. James was born and raised in Akron, Ohio, where he"
"in 2007. James then played for the Miami Heat from 2010 to 2014, leading the Heat to two NBA championships in 2012 and 2013. During the 2014 NBA draft on June 26, 2014, Cleveland held the first overall pick and used it to select Andrew Wiggins. Later on August 23, a three-team trade was completed involving the Cavaliers, the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the Philadelphia 76ers. As part of the deal, Cleveland dealt Wiggins and Anthony Bennett and received Love. James, Love, and guard Kyrie Irving became known as the Big Three. The Cavaliers got off to a shockingly bad start"
"more specific. James relented about the TV special before the 2011–12 season: ""if the shoe was on the other foot and I was a fan, and I was very passionate about one player, and he decided to leave, I would be upset too about the way he handled it."" James won two NBA championships with Miami: the first in 2011–12 in his second season with the Heat, and again the following season in 2012–13. The Cavaliers finished their 2010–11 season with a 19–63 record, including a then-NBA record 26-game losing streak. In the four NBA drafts after James' departure, the"
"season in which James had made it to the championship round. It was also James' final season with the Cavaliers, as he opted out of his contract during the subsequent offseason and again left the Cavaliers to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers, his second time leaving his hometown team after doing so in 2010 to join the Miami Heat. With the loss in the Finals for the second consecutive year, the Cavaliers had become the first team since the then-New Jersey Nets, the team led by Hall of Famer Jason Kidd to lose back-to-back Finals. The Cavaliers did not"
"this fall I'm gonna take my talents to South Beach and join the Miami Heat."" The quote was heavily criticized. James, along with the help of Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, led the Heat to four consecutive NBA Finals appearances, winning twice, while the Cavaliers' record fell to the bottom of the NBA echelon. In those four years without LeBron, they acquired three number-one picks (Kyrie Irving in 2011, Anthony Bennett in 2013 and Andrew Wiggins in 2014). The team struggled to win games, setting an NBA record for most consecutive losses with 26 in the 2010–11 season. After the"
"lost by 29, 124–95, in Game 3, the greatest defeat in the history of the Boston Celtics in the playoffs, while the Cavaliers lost by 32, 120–88, in Game 5. With the Cavaliers out of the playoffs, the focus turned to James' impending free agency. On July 8, 2010, James announced in a nationally televised one-hour special titled ""The Decision"" on ESPN that he would be signing with the Miami Heat. The repercussions of this announcement left many in the city of Cleveland infuriated and feeling betrayed. A number of LeBron James jerseys were burned, and the famous Nike ""Witness"""
"received national attention as a high school basketball star at St. Vincent – St. Mary High School. He was drafted out of high school by his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers with the first overall pick of the 2003 NBA draft. He played the first seven seasons of his professional career in Cleveland, where he was a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player and a six-time NBA All-Star. James became an unrestricted free-agent at 12:01 am EDT on July 1, 2010. He was courted by several teams, including the New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, New Jersey Nets, Miami Heat, Los Angeles Clippers, and"
"The Warriors dominated the early series, going 37–22 () from 1970 to 1991. The Cavaliers would win 10 straight games from 1992 to 1996 to reduce Golden State's lead to 37–32 (). The two teams played each other close during LeBron James' first stint with the Cavaliers in the 2000s. From 2010 to 2014, James left the Cavaliers to play for the Miami Heat while the Warriors were a lottery team. The Warriors led the head-to-head series 53–50 () through the end of the 2013–14 season. James returned to the Cavaliers during the 2014 off-season. The Cavaliers then acquired All-Star"
"Cavaliers won the draft lottery three times to receive the first overall pick. Their 2011 first overall pick, Kyrie Irving, was named the 2012 NBA Rookie of the Year, and was also the MVP of both the All-Star Game and the FIBA Basketball World Cup in 2014. When James announced his return to the Cavaliers for the 2014–15 season in a ""Sports Illustrated"" essay on July 11, 2014, he alluded to the controversy surrounding the special, saying ""I’m not having a press conference or a party."" He led Cleveland to an NBA championship in 2015–16, when the Cavaliers became the"
"of the previous year's Conference Finals. The Pacers were eliminated from the playoffs for a third consecutive year by the Heat. The Heat went to a fourth consecutive Finals, and faced the Spurs again. The first two games in San Antonio were split but the Heat fell to the Spurs 4–1, failing to repeat as champions for the third consecutive season. On July 11, 2014, LeBron James announced on SI.com that after opting out of the final year of his contract, he would leave the Heat and return to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Wade and Bosh stayed in Miami. Like the"
"cost head coach Mike Brown his job, though he was later re-hired (and fired again) in the 2013–14 NBA season. After that season, as a free agent, James left for the Miami Heat and helped them to four successive NBA Finals appearances, winning in and 2013, while the Cavaliers sunk to an Eastern Conference-low 19 wins in the 2010–11 NBA season, which included a 26-game losing streak. The Cavaliers then appeared in the NBA draft lottery four consecutive times, earning the top pick in three of them. Those three top picks became Kyrie Irving (2011), Anthony Bennett (2013) and Andrew"
"42-win difference being the biggest single-season drop in NBA history), the Cavaliers began a rebuild around Kyrie Irving, who they selected first overall in the 2011 NBA Draft. In 2014, James returned to the Cavaliers after four seasons in Miami. While the Heat had a 224–88 record during James' four-year tenure and won NBA titles in 2012 and 2013, the Cavaliers went 97–215 and missed the playoffs each season. The Cavaliers made several moves to build a championship-contender around James, most notably acquiring power forward Kevin Love from the Minnesota Timberwolves, which created what many fans and media referred to"
"his actions during the 2010 free agency period and, more specifically, ""The Decision"", he was listed as one of most disliked athletes in the US. By 2013, his image had mostly recovered and he was reported by ESPN as the most popular player in the NBA for the second time in his career. In 2014, he was named the most popular male athlete in America by the Harris Poll. He has led the league in jersey sales six times. In March 2008, James became the first black manand third man overall after Richard Gere and George Clooneyto appear on the"
"consecutive losing seasons with no playoff action. Cleveland was awarded with the top overall pick in the 2003 draft, and they selected LeBron James. Behind James and Zydrunas Ilgauskas, the Cavaliers again became a regular playoff contender by 2005. They made their first appearance in the NBA Finals in 2007 after winning the first Eastern Conference championship in franchise history. After failing to return to the NBA Finals in the ensuing three seasons, James joined the Miami Heat in 2010. As a result, the Cavaliers finished the 2010–11 season last in the conference, enduring a 26-game losing streak that, as"
"and leading them to the NBA Finals 4 other times (2007, 2015, 2017, and 2018). This marked his second time leaving the Cavs, after controversially doing so in 2010 to join the Miami Heat, where he led the team to 4 NBA Finals appearances and winning back-to-back in 2012 and 2013. The signing also renewed the Celtics–Lakers rivalry, as his former Cavs teammate Kyrie Irving was traded to the Boston Celtics the year before and former Celtics star Rajon Rondo joined LeBron in Los Angeles. 2018–19 Los Angeles Lakers season The 2018–19 Los Angeles Lakers season is the franchise's 71st"
"honored as NBA Coach of the Year for leading the Cavaliers to a team record and league best 66 wins in 2009, and 61 wins, again a league best, in 2010. However, after losing to the Orlando Magic in the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals, and the Boston Celtics in the 2010 Eastern Conference Semifinals, he was fired after failing to win an NBA Championship with the Cavaliers. He succeeded Phil Jackson as the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers in 2011 before being fired after the start of the following season. He returned to the Cavaliers for the 2013–14"
"games include: on October 28, 2010, John Wall, the No. 1 pick in the 2010 NBA draft, made his NBA debut as the Washington Wizards visited the Magic on TNT. On December 2, LeBron James returned to Cleveland for the first time since the Decision as his Heat faced the Cavaliers on TNT. The Celtics–Lakers rivalry renewed on January 30, 2011 (at Los Angeles on ABC) and on February 10, 2011 (at Boston on TNT) in a rematch of the 2010 NBA Finals. On March 4–5, 2011, the New Jersey Nets and Toronto Raptors faced off in two regular season"
"LeBron James announced he had decided to return to Cleveland leaving Wade and Bosh to continue on without him. Much like the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2014 off-season, the Heat focused on how it would maintain and remain a top-contender without LeBron James. However, rather than firing key members and rebuilding, the Heat kept much of its roster together and re-tooled. Despite the departure of James, the off-season for the Heat marked the return of many key veterans and the arrival of new stars embarking on a hopeful note for the Heat. Chris Bosh signed to a hefty $115,000,000 contract"
"to terms with the Miami Heat. Then on July 8, 2010, LeBron James held an hour-long special to announce his decision on ESPN to commit to playing with the Heat. Later that evening, the Heat announced the trade of Michael Beasley to the Minnesota Timberwolves for a pair of second round picks and cash considerations. The three are called the SuperFriends by many sportswriters and commentators, most notably those for ESPN, because all three were taken in the top five of the 2003 NBA Draft and because they have become good friends over the years. On July 8, 2010, it"
"went to a fourth straight Finals matchup. During free agency in 2018, LeBron James signed with the Lakers. Following pioneers like Vlade Divac (Serbia) and Dražen Petrović (Croatia) who joined the NBA in the late 1980s, an increasing number of international players have moved directly from playing elsewhere in the world to starring in the NBA. Since 2006, the NBA has faced EuroLeague teams in exhibition matches in the NBA Europe Live Tour, and since 2009, in the EuroLeague American Tour. The 2013–14 season opened with a record 92 international players on the opening night rosters, representing 39 countries and"
"allotted him the option of seeking a new contract worth more money as an unrestricted free agent following the 2010 season. This move ultimately allowed James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh to sign with the Heat together. During his second stint in Cleveland, he began opting out and re-signing on new contracts after each season in order to take advantage of higher salaries resulting from the NBA's rising salary cap. In 2016, he signed with the Cavaliers on a three-year deal, becoming the highest-paid player in the league for the first time in his career. James has signed numerous endorsement"
"straight championship, losing to the Spurs 4-1 in a rematch of the previous season's finals. The Spurs had defeated the Thunder in the Western Conference finals prior to the NBA finals. After the Heat lost the 2014 Finals, LeBron James to returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers to join with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. James led the Cavaliers to four straight NBA Finals from 2015-2018, all against the Golden State Warriors. The Cavaliers won only one Championship during this stretch, in 2016 in which the Cavaliers beat the Warriors in seven games, rallying from a 3–1 series deficit for the"
"led the Heat to the NBA Finals in each of their four seasons together, and won back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013. After losing the Finals the following season, James opted out of a contract extension, and returned to play for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Both Wade and Bosh continued to play for the Heat for two additional seasons after James' departure, before Wade departed Miami and signed with the Chicago Bulls, while Bosh left the game due to medical reasons. On September 27th, 2017, Wade signed a one-year contract with the Cavaliers, reuniting him with James. On February 8, 2018,"
"Thompson with the fourth pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. Irving would win the Rookie of the Year Award. However, the Cavaliers' best season without James was when they finished in 2013-14. On July 11, 2014, James announced his return to Cleveland in a letter published to ""Sports Illustrated"". The Cavaliers would select Andrew Wiggins in 2014 first overall, who they would trade along with Anthony Bennett to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Kevin Love. Both the Bulls and Cavaliers would qualify to play in the playoffs. The Cavaliers earned the Eastern Conference's second seed, and the Bulls earned"
"NBA D-League All-Star Game. In July 2013, James joined the Brooklyn Nets for the Orlando Summer League and the Miami Heat for the Las Vegas Summer League. On September 30, 2013, James signed with the Denver Nuggets. However, he was later waived by the Nuggets on October 26, 2013. On December 5, 2013, James was reacquired by the Bakersfield Jam. On February 20, 2014, he was traded to the Texas Legends. On April 3, 2014, he signed a 10-day contract with the San Antonio Spurs. On April 13, 2014, he signed with the Spurs for the rest of the season."
"LeBron James announced that he was leaving the Cavaliers for the Miami Heat on a highly criticized ESPN television special dubbed ""The Decision"". Following the special, Gilbert published an open letter in Comic Sans font (dubbed nationally as ""The Letter"" as a counterpoint to ""The Decision"") to Cleveland Cavaliers fans in which he strongly criticized how James made his announcement. On July 12, 2010, NBA Commissioner David Stern fined Gilbert $100,000 for his remarks in the letter. Gilbert has since regretted the open letter, which he wrote in 45 minutes when emotions were running high, and it was taken down"