LeBron James Says 'Villain Role' Impacted Heat's 2011 Finals Loss in Video, Was in 'Dark Place'

LeBron James says media narratives surrounding his decision to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers put him in a "dark place" back when he first joined the Miami Heat in 2010.

James reminisced on his first season with the Heat, which ended with a Game 6 loss to the Dallas Mavericks in the 2011 NBA Finals, around the 50:20 mark of Thursday's episode of Bob Does Sports.

The conversation revolved around the reaction James received after announcing his plans to join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh and chase a title in Miami during a live television event ahead of the 2010-11 season.

The decision, which came after seven seasons without a championship in Cleveland, prompted immediate backlash from both Cavaliers ownership and fans.

"I took the villain role because I let the media— and I was young, I was 25 years old," James said on Thursday's podcast. "A lot of people don't understand that was the first time I'd ever left my home. Even when I got drafted by the Cavs, my first seven years with the Cavs, I still stayed in my hometown of Akron.

"It was my first time ever going to Miami. When I did a decision, and I made an announcement that I was going to Miami, my whole mindset was, I want to do something different. I wanted to treat it like a college, when guys get their caps."

James continued, "I didn't know or feel like the hate that I got from that, the backlash from that, was going to happen, because of how I felt of doing it. So I allowed the media, I allowed everybody to put me in a dark place."

He went on to describe that mindset as a reason he went from averaging 26.7 points per game during the regular season to just 17.8 points per game during the Heat's six-game Finals series loss.

"The reason I played the way I played in the Finals is because I wasn't me," James said. "Shed that black hat, shed that villain roll, like I'm gonna get back to my f--king self, and boom. We came in, balls to the wall, and was able to make it happen."

He concluded, "It was tough on me. But it definitely made me who I am, ultimately, especially as a basketball player, and also as a man."

James ultimately won back-to-back NBA titles with the Heat in 2012 and 2013 before rejoining the Cavs ahead of the 2014-15 season.

There's reportedly a chance that James could return for a third stint from the Cavaliers, and a final season near his hometown, should he decide to play another season after his current contract with the Los Angeles Lakers expires this summer.

ESPN's Dave McMenamin reported in January that sources around the NBA feel the Cavaliers "would gladly welcome James back this summer if he wanted to return to Cleveland for his 24th NBA season."