When LeBron James left a superteam in Miami to come back home to Cleveland in 2014 NBA free agency
Back in 2010, LeBron James became the No. 1 villain in the NBA. This came after he left his hometown team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, after seven years, to form a superteam with the Miami Heat.
However, four years later, James redeemed himself in the eyes of most fans by making his triumphant return to Cleveland in the 2014 NBA free agency.
James won two titles in his four seasons with the Heat (2012 and 2013) alongside fellow stars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Many considered Miami's Big 3 to be the greatest trio of players ever assembled on a basketball court.
Upon opting to leave the Heat, James said that leaving behind an established championship core in Miami was an extremely difficult decision:
“The hardest thing to leave is what I built with those guys.
“I've talked to some of them and will talk to others. Nothing will ever change what we accomplished.”
However, according to James, a return to the Cavaliers was necessary as it went beyond basketball:
“My relationship with Northeast Ohio is bigger than basketball,” James said.
“I didn't realize that four years ago. I do now.”
James then touched on why his hometown means so much to him:
“Before anyone ever cared where I would play basketball, I was a kid from Northeast Ohio. It's where I walked”.
“It's where I ran. It's where I cried. It's where I bled. It holds a special place in my heart. People there have seen me grow up. I sometimes feel like I'm their son.
“Their passion can be overwhelming. But it drives me. I want to give them hope when I can. I want to inspire them when I can.”
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How did LeBron James fare during his second stint in Cleveland?
The Cleveland Cavaliers were a perennial bottom-feeder at the time of LeBron James’ return. This came as they had gone just 97-215 over the previous four seasons without James. However, the Cavs still had a young star point guard in Kyrie Irving and the No. 1 pick in the 2014 draft in Andrew Wiggins.
Upon James’ return, Cleveland flipped Wiggins to the Minnesota Timberwolves for star power forward Kevin Love. James, Irving and Love then formed a new Big 3 that led Cleveland to a 53-29 record and an NBA Finals appearance in their first season together.
James and the Cavs fell short in the 2015 finals, losing in six games to the Golden State Warriors. However, they famously redeemed themselves in 2016 by coming back from a 3-1 deficit in the Finals to win the NBA title over Golden State. They then made the finals in 2017 and 2018 as well before James’ departure to the LA Lakers in 2018.
In total, Cleveland went 211-117 over four seasons during James’ second stint with the team. Meanwhile, James averaged 26.1 points, 7.7 rebounds, 8.0 assists, 1.4 steals, 0.7 blocks and 1.6 3-pointers per game on 52.6% shooting over 301 games.
Although James ended up leaving the Cavs for a second time, he was able to fulfill his promise to the city to deliver them their first NBA championship.
“I'm coming home with what I said I was going to do,” James said following the 2016 Finals.
“I can't wait to get off that plane, hold that trophy up and see all our fans at the terminal.”
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