LeBron James is coming home to Cleveland Cavaliers. The basketball superstar has made this announcement on Friday.
His announcement, which was published on the website of Sports Illustrated, read, "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. My relationship with Northeast Ohio is bigger than basketball. I didn't realize that four years ago. I do now."
James had shocked fans when he decided three weeks ago that he would opt out of his $20.5 million-a-year contract with Miami Heat, Buzzfeed reported. Although the details of his contract with Cleveland has yet to be revealed, it has been said that the basketball star desired the high-end of the contract of whichever team he chooses to play next year. Cleveland would have probably offered James a four-year contract for $94.8 million ($23.7 million a year) under the sports league's collective bargaining agreement.
If there were plans of a press conference or a party for James' return to his hometown team, the basketball star has somewhat rejected them. He wrote, "I'm not having a press conference or a party. After this, it's time to get to work."
ESPN, on the other hand, shed light on what could have been the main reason why it took for James to decide on which team to play for. Sources have said that one issue is regarding the infamous letter Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert had written about the superstar when he left the team back in 2010. The letter, which was reportedly typed in Comic Sans font, labeled James as a "coward" and used the many nicknames and catchphrases to humiliate the player. The sports news outlet said that the letter had remained on the team's official site up until earlier this week, presumably as a courtesy for James' return to the team.
