"Next thing you know the next year, he's in Miami" - Charles Oakley reveals that LeBron James told him about his move to the Miami Heat one year before ‘The Decision’
To date, LeBron James' decision to join the Miami Heat in 2010 is still seen as one of the biggest betrayals in NBA history. Cleveland fans were distraught with the news and were more upset about how the superstar made it known.
After playing seven seasons with his hometown franchise, LeBron chose to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers due to lack of success in the playoffs. After several attempts to win a championship, he believed it was time to try elsewhere to avoid wasting any more time.
LeBron's decision to join a superteam in Miami paid off, as he won two championships in four NBA Finals appearances. After failing to three-peat, the former MVP decided it was time to return to the team that drafted him.
In the 2010 offseason, LeBron announced the move via The Decision. Although it always seemed like LBJ did not give it much thought, former Chicago Bulls star Charles Oakley has stated otherwise. According to Oakley, the 18-time All-Star nurtured that thought for almost a year.
"So basically it was the first two games of the season (2009). I was somewhere and he called me and he said he's gonna be in Florida, Orlando first. Come down I had dinner with him, and we went out had a good time. Steakhouse he always showed people a good time, And then the next night they was playing, it was a back to back, it was in Miami. So he said, 'what you doing?' I said I'm just chilling. He said come on down, I said alright."
"Before that night he said you know what? I'm thinking about going to Miami I said really? that's okay. So I drove down to Miami and called Pat and told him I need a couple of tickets for the game. So, he left the tickets at halftime, he got his special suite he go to and I was in there talking to him. 'What's going on Oak?' I said I'm just chilling."
"So I said, you know what? I talked to somebody they might be coming here next year. He said 'really?' I said yeah. I said you might be playing against him tonight. He said 'oh okay.' You laugh at that, and the next thing you know the next year, he's in Miami."
It was a move that ended well for all parties involved, except the Cavs. LeBron got his long-awaited first championship, and the Heat Big 3 delivered on their promise.
LeBron James is still in search of a fifth title
Since winning two championships with the Heat, LeBron James has won two more with two different franchises. He returned home to bring a championship to Cleveland, and he did, in spectacular fashion no less.
It was a record-setting 2016 NBA Finals, where LeBron James led the Cavs from a 3-1 deficit against the Golden State Warriors to win the title. That is the only time in league history a team has come back from 3-1 down to win the title.
LBJ is one of four players in NBA history to win championships with three different franchises. He has made sure to deliver a championship to every city he has played for.
Every team that has ever employed LeBron James has won a championship and he himself has more championships than all but five NBA teams.
If that’s what it means to kill a team then I guess a bunch of living franchises wish they were dead. twitter.com/nbamemes/statu…
Sadly, the LA Lakers might have lost their chance to win another championship in the 2021-22 campaign. They put together a superteam during the offseason to boost their chances of winning but have been grossly underwhelming so far.
The Lakers are currently ranked ninth in the Western Conference standings with a 27-31 record. Their most recent loss came on Friday night against the LA Clippers.