Cleveland Legend Jim Brown To LeBron James: Stay with the Cavaliers

His name is synonymous with the Browns—which is to say, it’s synonymous with Cleveland.

So when Jim Brown speaks, there’s an E.F. Hutton effect at work.

People listen, and they had to like what they heard from the legendary running back Tuesday night. The response from LeBron James wasn’t too bad, either.

The two met with the media before the Cavaliers’ 108-100 win over the Toronto Raptors. Brown was there as part of the Cavs’ month-long commemoration of Black History Month.

He was honored at halftime along with former Ohio State receiver Cris Carter, former Ohio State basketball star and Cavalier Jim Jackson, and former Indians pitcher Jim “Mudcat” Grant.

However, it was his meeting with James before the game that garnered the most attention.

Brown was part of the last professional sports team to win a championship in Cleveland, the 1964 Browns. The Hall of Famer played his entire professional career in the city, and he’d like to see James do the same thing.

The Associated Press reported that Brown would “love” to see James stay with the Cavaliers. 

“I think it's a terrific marriage,” the report quoted Brown as saying. “He does so much for this city and I think he has an owner (Dan Gilbert) that tries to do everything he can….It's a terrific set of circumstances."

James has a keen sense of history, particularly about Cleveland sports. He grew up in Akron, just 40 miles south, and knows all about Jim Brown.

"Anytime you can be mentioned with a great and be able to continue the legacy he built here in Cleveland, is humbling for me," James said. "We both know how much the fans love sports, and I have had to learn to keep the momentum going after he passed the torch."

James’ connection to Northeast Ohio is a strong one, and Brown appealed to it with even stronger praise for the Cavaliers’ star.

"This young man is from a different age," Brown said . "If he was not who he is, then I wouldn't be here. He's a great team player, and he's highly intelligent."

After the ceremony, Brown and James signed enlarged versions of a Sports Illustrated cover that featured the two Cleveland sports icons. James said he would have one framed. “I want it to be legendary,” he said .

Even Brown knows that tradition alone will not keep James in a Cavaliers uniform. But it certainly can’t hurt.

“He’s very valuable to Cleveland,” Brown said.

Spoken like someone who knows.