AP Was There: James dumps Cleveland for Miami
LeBron James ends weeks of speculation over his future by announcing his decision on an ESPN special that he has decided to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers and his home state of Ohio after seven years to join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh at the Miami Heat seeking his first championship. James said he was taking his talents to South Beach. The Associated Press is republishing verbatim the story of James’ announcement on July 9, 2010.
— When the months of suspense peaked, LeBron James delivered a few words that rocked the NBA and changed two cities and franchises.
At 9:27 p.m., James, looking nervous and somewhat unsure, finally announced his plans from a small stage in Greenwich, Conn.
“This fall, and it’s very tough,” James said to a national TV audience. “I’m going to take my talents to South Beach and join the Miami Heat.”
In Florida, there was rejoicing.
In Ohio, only heartbreak and tears — then anger.
The most wanted man in league history decided Thursday night that it was time to leave the comforts of home to chase a championship.
The two-time MVP, a player with supreme skills but without a title, decided to join forces with fellow superstars, good friends and U.S. Olympic teammates Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh — a dominant threesome that could rule the league for years to come.
“I can’t say it was always in my plans, because I never thought it was possible,” James said of this union with the two perennial All-Stars, players he has known for years. “I’ve looked forward to it. Those are two great players, two of the greatest players that we have in this game today. You add me, and we have a really good team.”
Landing James was a huge victory for the team president Pat Riley, who was able to corral the top three stars in an unprecedented free-agent class and now must resist the temptation to leave the front office to coach them.
James’ announcement ended weeks of speculation and capped a multi-ringed media circus in this age of social networking that spun out of control. It also concluded a somewhat embarrassing courtship of a player by cities, celebrities and franchises who fawned over the 25-year-old who doesn’t have a finals win on his resume.
New York, Chicago, New Jersey, Los Angeles and every other NBA spot came up short, finishing out of the money.
So did Cleveland. As it always does.
This time, losing was tainted with bitterness.
Meanwhile, in Cleveland, fans so accustomed to disappointment, were let down again — this time, by one of their own 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,” James 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, is to move on.”
Even one of James’ teammates was distraught.
“I feel like my heart has been pulled out,” Cavs guard Mo Williams posted on his Twitter account. “But I’m happy for my friend.”
James’ decision ends nearly two years of posturing and positioning by teams hoping to add the 6-foot-8, 260-pound physical force of nature to their roster. He famously announced at New York’s Madison Square Garden in November of 2008 that “July 1, 2010, is going to be a big day.”
He wasn’t kidding. When the clock struck 12:01 a.m. last Thursday, a free-agent frenzy unlike any before it — in any professional sport — got under way with the enough speculation, rumor and second-by-second intrigue to last a lifetime.
March may be madness, but this was a year’s drama crammed into eight days.