How Does Cleveland Feel About LeBron James After Decades of Glory and Pain?
Have you heard? LeBron James is back in Cleveland!
For one weekend, at least.
With the 71st NBA All-Star Game being held in his old stomping grounds Sunday, James, the league's leading vote-getter, will make his return to the area he grew up in and called home for 29 of his 37 years.
It's been a rocky relationship between James and the city over the past 20 years, from the 2010 and 2018 free-agency departures to their 2016 championship.
We know how Cavs fans felt about James after 2010 when he ripped the hearts out of an entire state while 13.1 million people watched from home.
But what about now, after a title, a far more peaceful split in 2018 and with a young Cavaliers team on the rise? Have feelings truly changed, or is there animosity lingering? Would Cavs fans welcome James back for a third run?
According to former Cavaliers teammate Channing Frye, Cleveland better give James the respect he's earned.
"I'll say this: If someone doesn't like LeBron, they can kiss my ass," Frye told Bleacher Report. "Listen, what he did and his sacrifice, not only to the game but to this city and what he does for the economy of this city but what he does for the culture of this organization is endless. He should get a standing ovation every time he comes here."
That sentiment was mostly echoed by a collection of local Cleveland radio hosts, media and fans polled by Bleacher Report, though some scars remain.
Wounds That Run Deep
When James left Cleveland the first time in 2010, it wasn't just about a basketball team losing the best player in franchise history. It was a fellow Northeast Ohio native shunning home for a warmer, glitzier destination.
To do so on national television was an embarrassment to those who supported and watched James play in person at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron since the late 1990s.
The second exit in 2018 wasn't nearly as painful (or surprising). But it still stung, especially since James had previously made it seem like he'd end his career in Cleveland. Four years earlier he was on record saying: "I don't plan on going nowhere. I don't have the energy to do it again." That turned out to be untrue.
Announcing his decision to join the Los Angeles Lakers through a Klutch press release without cameras or fanfare helped soften the blow.
But the scales had been tipped once more: LeBron Leaving 2, LeBron Coming Home 1.
"The first decision was brutal, and some never got over it," said Garrett Bush, host of local Cleveland radio show The Barbershop on 92.3 The Fan. "The second time he left, people understood it but still didn't like it. People felt he used the coming home to salvage and rebuild his brand on a global level, and once it was repaired, he moved to L.A. in what was a predetermined move."
Some fans were hurt by James' choice of destinations. The warm-weather, celebrity-packed cities of Miami and Los Angeles are far cries from blue-collar Cleveland. That sentiment still exists on social media.
"I still hate LeBron," said Jacob Roberts of Cleveland. "I can't get myself to stop. The hatred and venom isn't as bad as it was the first time around in 2010, and I'm appreciative of the title, but it's hard for me to forgive let alone root for him spurning us for brighter lights for the second time."
"There's always going to be a faction of fans that won't forgive him for leaving the first time, despite the fact he came back. Then leaving again only deepened that wound," said Danny Cunningham, co-host of Cleveland Tonight with Matt Fontana on ESPN 850.
Winning with James has always taken a toll on his teams over time, usually by depleting its young talent and draft picks at the cost of winning immediately.
It's always worth it, of course, with recent championship banners hanging in Miami, Cleveland and L.A., but there's usually a lengthy rebuild that follows after James bolts. The Cavs were a mess from 2010 to 2014 while James was on the Heat and needed him to come flying in, cape flapping in the wind, to rescue them from the bottom of the league.
This rebuild, however, has been different.
Success Equals Forgiveness
The first time James left the Cavs, the team was just 20-33 overall at the All-Star break in year four of the rebuild. This reconstruction has been much more fruitful, with Cleveland sitting at 35-23 and tied for the third-best record in the East, three-and-a-half seasons removed from his departure.
With two All-Stars in Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen, a future All-Star in rookie sensation Evan Mobley and a strong group around them that features Caris LeVert, Isaac Okoro, Lauri Markkanen, Kevin Love, Cedi Osman and Collin Sexton (when he returns from a torn meniscus), the Cavs are in a far better place than they were at this point in the first post-LeBron rebuild.
"One of the cool things about this Cavs team is that they're having success, and it's without LeBron," said Emmett Golden, co-host of Cleveland radio show The Next Level on ESPN 850. "For a long time it felt like the only way this team could have success is if they had the best player in the world. I do think that's affecting the way Cavs fans look at LeBron.
"There's LeBron fatigue. There was a time where if you said 'LeBron' in this city, phone lines would light up; your mentions would be a disaster one way or the other. Right now, fans got a little fatigue with the LeBron stuff. It's not anger as it once was. It's not love as it once was. Right now, it's like: 'Hey, we're cool. Thanks for everything you did, and now we're going to have fun watching these young guys in Cleveland now.'"
While the current Cavs don't necessarily have championship aspirations yet, they've already gone above and beyond what most people expected by holding on to a home-court-advantage spot in the East. This has certainly made forgetting about James' exit easier.
"I do think overwhelmingly he's beloved here and always will be. I also think most Cavs fans are thrilled with the direction the team is headed now without LeBron for the first time since the late 1980s," said Cunningham.
The Cavaliers last made the playoffs without James in 1998, a team led by Shawn Kemp, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Wesley Person. The last time Cleveland put together this talented of a young core, however, was during the 1986 draft when it selected Brad Daugherty, Ron Harper and Mark Price all in the top 25 picks before it became a playoff fixture in the East.
Winning has definitely eased any pain, as does the blossoming of two All-Stars. In the recent All-Star draft on TNT, James playfully acknowledged that his free-agency decisions in 2010 and 2018 weren't popular with Cavaliers fans, so he chose Cavs point guard Darius Garland with his second reserve selection.
"Garland is untouchable, man. Garland is untouchable. Listen, I've left Cleveland twice. I need some type of muscle to go back with me so I gotta keep Garland with me," James said.
With James set to team up with Garland and Allen, another first-time All-Star in Cleveland, all kinds of emotions are sure to be stirred up.
A Relationship Beyond Basketball
No matter where he plays, Akron will always be home for James, and most fans and media haven't forgotten what he's done for Northeast Ohio.
After growing up and attending high school in Akron and shining a positive light on it for so many years, James has been a beacon of hope for so many at-risk kids in the area.
A total of 452 students attended his I Promise School in Akron last year, a number that continues to grow as grade levels are added. His I Promise program contains 1,100 kids and provides everything from scholarships to housing and job training.
"I think the fanbase reluctantly embraces LeBron," Bush said. "He's huge in giving to inner-city kids. His school is a bright light in what most would perceive as a crumbling city in Akron. He still has a squeaky-clean image with no arrests, no gambling, no drinking publicly in excess, no mistresses, no scandals. Raised three good kids. Some people will never openly criticize him because of that."
"True Clevelanders love LeBron. The man ended a [52-year] title drought in the most dramatic and fantastic fashion. He is the identity of Cleveland sports, and it feels good knowing the greatest basketball player of all time is native to Northeast Ohio," said Zak Zevchik of Cleveland.
As Trey Tucci of Magnolia writes: "I hate LeBron for about six hours a year; when he's in a Lakers jersey playing against the Cavs. Other than that, I root for him and I love him for the championship and giving people from this area a reason to be proud to be from the 330/Northeast Ohio area."
A Warm Reception?
The ice has already been broken since James left the Cavs for the Lakers. The four-time MVP made his first return to Cleveland on November 21, 2018, a visit that saw James receive largely a standing ovation and a video tribute that also drew a significant applause. The hatred-filled signs were gone, as were the feelings of betrayal that hung over the franchise for years after The Decision in 2010.
Three-plus years later, there's no reason to believe James won't get another friendly welcome, especially with the Cavs in a far better place than they were in the fall of 2018. The level of ovation James gets could depend on who he shares the court with at the time as well.
"I think he'll get a good reception. I don't think it will bust anyone's eardrums, but I don't expect there to be any boos or anything like that," said Golden. "I think Cleveland is content when it comes to LeBron, as far as him as a person. They'll cheer for him, especially if he's on the floor with Darius and J.A. I think that will get a huge ovation with those guys together."
While seeing James, Garland and Allen together will be a sort of a ghosts of Cavs basketball past, present and future, there's also a possible recruitment concern since Garland is a Klutch client.
"I will be happy to see [LeBron]. I think most fans will quietly reminisce of the good times while hoping he doesn't get too chummy with Darius," Ken Carman, co-host of The Ken Carman Show with Anthony Lima on 92.3 The Fan, told B/R.
The 2014 All-Star Game with James, then with the Miami Heat, and Kyrie Irving, then of the Cavaliers, starting together for the East in a 163-155 win gave us a preview of what was to come over the following three years. Could Garland and James' pairing at this year's event be a sign of things to come as well?
Regardless, expect there to be no ill will toward James during the game, especially with two current Cavs on his team.
"To not only have the greatest championship ever, but to have somebody who's the 1A or 1B greatest player ever play here and love it and call it home is a gift," Frye said. "If you don't like LeBron, just say that, but I find him as one of the nicest human beings and best teammates I've ever had. He rides harder for Ohio than any person I know."
LeBron in Cleveland Part III?
With the Lakers in danger of missing the playoffs and possessing limited draft picks, young talent and cap space to improve the team with, could James eye a move from L.A. in 2023?
The Cavs have a far better roster now than the one he joined in 2014, one one which Irving was the lone potential star to build around.
While James could wait and see if his oldest son, Bronny, gets drafted and then join that team (a prediction made a few years ago), a move to Cleveland would be the perfect fairy-tale ending to perhaps the greatest basketball career we've ever seen.
"There's still conversations from time to time like, 'Will LeBron come back and finish his career in Cleveland?' and I think it's said more like, 'Oh that would be kind of nice' instead of, 'He's got to come back if they want any chance to win,'" said Golden. "There's closure. Everybody's cool and ready to move on. We appreciate what he was able to do, but the city isn't held hostage anymore for its sports joy. When he was here, the Browns were bad and the only way you were going to find any joy as a sports fan is if LeBron delivered, and I don't get that feeling anymore."
"LeBron in totality will always be a mixed bag of fruit. Some will like him. Some will always find a reason to hate him. But both the city and LeBron are drawn to each other. There's no feeling like succeeding in your own backyard. It's like the girl who got away. She'll always have a special place in your heart," said Bush.
As tempting as James sharing the floor with Garland, Mobley and Allen might be, there's beauty in building something without him as well, as fans are quick to point out.
"I can't fathom how there's fans out there who want him to come back for a third time. This is the most fun I've ever had watching a Cavs team. No LeBron drama or media scrutiny and pressure. I'm so excited to make memories and have success outside of LeBron," said Jacob Roberts of Cleveland.
"It's a real love/hate relationship. It's like your first love. When you were together it was the best time of your life. You wouldn't trade the memories or the time together for anything, but you also sure as hell don't want to see them happy and succeeding elsewhere after they left you high and dry. He's impossible to hate, but he's also impossible to strictly love," notes Sam Heintz of Eastlake.
As even Garland told Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, "Having our own legacy without having anything with 'Bron to do with it, that would be pretty cool."
Should James seriously consider coming home a third time?
He hasn't ruled it out, even telling The Athletic's Jason Lloyd, "The door’s not closed on that. I’m not saying I’m coming back and playing, I don’t know. I don’t know what my future holds."
For now, both he and the city should enjoy their time together during All-Star Weekend, with each side remembering the good times and focusing on their own seasons.
With Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse marked by a large wine-colored banner that's adorned by a gold trophy that hangs from the rafters, there's closure between James and Cleveland. Perhaps, that's the way it should stay.
Editor's note: Frye, who spoke to B/R via zoom, spent All-Star weekend working with Mobil 1 and Project Backboard to refurbish a local basketball court at the Merrick House in Cleveland.
