The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
The timing of James’ video piques curiosity
Cavaliers fans have ridden the emotional rollercoaster with LeBron James for 14 years.
He revitalized a moribund franchise when the Cavs hit the draft lottery jackpot in 2003 and used the first overall pick on the Akron native and former high-school basketball sensation.
Seven years later, James’ nationally televised declaration he was “taking his talents to South Beach” sent the franchise into a tailspin that ended with his return in July 2014.
So keen is the interest in James that when he speaks, Cavs fans always listen and often read between the lines.
So, for sure, there will be Cavs fans dissecting what James has to say during “The Shop,” a 29-minute video posted June 9 on w w w.Uninterrupted.com, the video platform started by James and his business partners as a forum for well-known athletes.
The video was shot in February during NBA AllStar Weekend in New Orleans, using the Aidan Gill for Men barbershop as backdrop. Appearing in the video with James are Warriors standout Draymond Green, rapper 2 Chainz, former NBA player and Cleveland native Charles Oakley, actor Jesse Williams, businessman Paul Rivera and James’ childhood friends and business associates Maverick Carter, Randy Mims and Rich Paul.
The conversation is freewheeling and touches on athletic excellence and the ups and downs of being a high-profile athlete.
Eventually, the talk turns to James and the circumstances surrounding his leaving as a free agent to play for the Heat and his return to the Cavs four years later.
James brings up the LeBron James warms up before Game 4 of the NBA Finals agains the Golden State Warriors on June 9.
emotionally charged letter posted by Cavs owner Dan Gilbert in the immediate wake of James’ joining the Heat.
“For me personally, when I decided to go back to Cleveland, I had to decide like, because our owner when I left decided to put out this article that we all know about where he bashed me and disrespected not only me as an individual, but disrespected my name,” James says. “My name is not just myself, it’s my wife, my kids, my grandfather, my mother, so many more people.
“Some people was on the fence,” James adds. “Even my wife and my mom was like, ‘I ain’t with that.’ I had to finally just be like, you know. Mom, it ain’t even really about (the Gilbert letter). For me, going back is more of this. It’s more of a bigger picture. It’s more of all these kids, all these people, that need inspiration and need a way to get out. And I believe I am that way out.”
Some observers questioned the timing of the video’s
posting.
It came on the day the Cavs hosted Green and Warriors in Game 4 of the 2017 NBA Finals.