LeBron James announces on SI that he's returning to Cleveland
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.
Remember when I was sitting up there at the Boys & Girls Club in 2010? I was thinking, This is really tough. I could feel it. I was leaving something I had spent a long time creating. If I had to do it all over again, I’d obviously do things differently, but I’d still have left. Miami, for me, has been almost like college for other kids. These past four years helped raise me into who I am. I became a better player and a better man. I learned from a franchise that had been where I wanted to go. I will always think of Miami as my second home. Without the experiences I had there, I wouldn’t be able to do what I’m doing today.
I went to Miami because of D-Wade and CB. We made sacrifices to keep UD. I loved becoming a big bro to Rio. I believed we could do something magical if we came together. And that’s exactly what we did! 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. We are brothers for life. I also want to thank Micky Arison and Pat Riley for giving me an amazing four years.
I’m doing this essay because I want an opportunity to explain myself uninterrupted. I don’t want anyone thinking: He and Erik Spoelstra didn’t get along. … He and Riles didn’t get along. … TheHeat couldn’t put the right team together. That’s absolutely not true.
I’m not having a press conference or a party. After this, it’s time to get to work.
When I left Cleveland, I was on a mission. I was seeking championships, and we won two. But Miami already knew that feeling. Our city hasn’t had that feeling in a long, long, long time. My goal is still to win as many titles as possible, no question. But what’s most important for me is bringing one trophy back to Northeast Ohio.
I always believed that I’d return to Cleveland and finish my career there. I just didn’t know when. After the season, free agency wasn’t even a thought. But I have two boys and my wife, Savannah, is pregnant with a girl. I started thinking about what it would be like to raise my family in my hometown. I looked at other teams, but I wasn’t going to leave Miami for anywhere except Cleveland. The more time passed, the more it felt right. This is what makes me happy.
To make the move I needed the support of my wife and my mom, who can be very tough. The letter from Dan Gilbert, the booing of the Cleveland fans, the jerseys being burned -- seeing all that was hard for them. My emotions were more mixed. It was easy to say, “OK, I don’t want to deal with these people ever again.” But then you think about the other side. What if I were a kid who looked up to an athlete, and that athlete made me want to do better in my own life, and then he left? How would I react? I’ve met with Dan, face-to-face, man-to-man. We’ve talked it out. Everybody makes mistakes. I’ve made mistakes as well. Who am I to hold a grudge?
I’m not promising a championship. I know how hard that is to deliver. We’re not ready right now. No way. Of course, I want to win next year, but I’m realistic. It will be a long process, much longer than it was in 2010. My patience will get tested. I know that. I’m going into a situation with a young team and a new coach. I will be the old head. But I get a thrill out of bringing a group together and helping them reach a place they didn’t know they could go. I see myself as a mentor now and I’m excited to lead some of these talented young guys. I think I can help Kyrie Irving become one of the best point guards in our league. I think I can help elevate Tristan Thompson and Dion Waiters. And I can’t wait to reunite withAnderson Varejao, one of my favorite teammates.
But this is not about the roster or the organization. I feel my calling here goes above basketball. I have a responsibility to lead, in more ways than one, and I take that very seriously. My presence can make a difference in Miami, but I think it can mean more where I’m from. I want kids in Northeast Ohio, like the hundreds of Akron third-graders I sponsor through my foundation, to realize that there’s no better place to grow up. Maybe some of them will come home after college and start a family or open a business. That would make me smile. Our community, which has struggled so much, needs all the talent it can get.
In Northeast Ohio, nothing is given. Everything is earned. You work for what you have.
I’m ready to accept the challenge. I’m coming home.
在还没有人在乎我在那里打球的时候，我只是个俄亥俄东北部的小孩子。这是我走的地方，这是我跑的地方，我哭泣的地方，我流血的地方，他在我心里一直有一个特别的位置。那里的人们看着我长大，我有时觉得我是他们的儿子。他们的热情也许可以压倒一切，但是这也激励了我。 我想要在我能做到时给他们希望，我想要在可以的情况下鼓舞他们。我和俄亥俄东北部的联系比篮球更重要。我四年前没有意识到。现在我意识到了。
记得2010年我坐在男孩女孩俱乐部前的时候吗？我在想，这真的很难。我可以感觉的到。我离开了我用很长时间创造的东西。如果我再做一次，我会做不同的事情。但是我已经离开了。迈阿密，对于我来说，就像大学对别的孩子一样。过去的四年帮助我成长成我所成为的人。我成为了更好的球员更好的人。我从我想要去的球队学习，我会永远把迈阿密当作我的第二故乡。没有那里的经历，我不会做到今天所做的。
我去迈阿密因为D-Wade和CB。我们为了留住UD(哈斯勒姆)做了牺牲。我很高兴成为Rio(查尔莫斯)的老大哥。我想信如果我们在一起我们可以做一些神奇的事情。我们也确实做到了！离开最难的事情是我和这些家伙建立的又一。我和他们的一些人谈过，也会和其他人谈。我们做到的事情不会改变，我们是一生的兄弟。我也想要感谢米奇-阿利森和帕特-莱利给了我神奇的四年。
我写这片文章是因为我想要一个不被人打断的解释自己的机会。我不想要任何人认为：他和埃里克-斯波斯特拉不和……他和莱利不合……热火[微博]不能正确的把球队融合在一起。这一点儿也不对。
我不会开新闻发布会或者派对。这之后，是回到工作的时间了。
当我离开克里夫兰的时候，我有一个任务。我在寻找总冠军，而我们赢得了两个。但是迈阿密已经知道了这个感觉。我们的城市在很长很长的时间都没有感受到那种感觉了。我的墓边依然是赢得尽可能多的总冠军，毫无疑问，但对我来说是最重要的是把一座奖杯带回俄亥俄东北部。
我一直相信我会回到克里夫兰并且在这里结束我的职业生涯。我只是不知道什么时候。在这个赛季之后时，自由球员甚至(我)想都没想过。但是我有两个儿子和我的妻子，萨瓦娜，怀着一个女儿。我开始想，在我的家乡抚养家庭会是什么样。我看了其他的球队，但是我除了克里夫兰不会为其他任何地方离开迈阿密。越多的时间过去，感觉就越对。这让我感到开心。
做这个变动需要我的妻子和我的母亲的支持，这对她们可能会很难。丹-吉尔伯特的信，克里夫兰球迷们的嘘声，球衣被烧掉——对于她们来说见到这些事很难受。我的情绪很复杂。说起来很容易，“OK，我不想要和这些人再有什么瓜戈，”但是你跳出来想想，如果我是一个一直崇敬一个运动员的孩子，那个运动员让我整个人生都一直想要做的更好，然后他走了，我会怎么反应？我和吉尔伯特见过面，面对面，男人对男人。我们把这事儿说开了。每个人都会犯错误。我也犯过错误。我凭什么去心怀忌恨呢？
我不是承诺冠军，我知道那很难做到。我们现在还没准备好。不可能。当然，我想要明年就赢得(总冠军)。但我很现实。这会是个漫长的过程，比2010年要漫长很多。我的耐心会被检验。我知道这点。我面对的是一个年轻球队以及一个新的教练。我会是最成熟的。但是我很受宠若惊能够带领球队团结起来帮助他们达到他们自己都不知道能够达到的程度。我把自己看作一个导师，现在我很高兴能够领导这些年轻的有天赋的家伙们。我觉得我可以帮助凯里-欧文成为我们联盟最好的组织后卫。我觉得我可以帮助特里斯坦-汤普森和迪昂-维特斯进步。而且我等不及和安德森-瓦莱乔重聚了，我最喜欢的队友之一。
但是这和球员名单和球队无关，我觉得我来到这里的比篮球更广义，我有责任要承担，不只是一种方式，而我会很认真的对待。我的存在可以在迈阿密有所不同，但是对我走出来的地方意味着更多。我希望俄亥俄东北部的孩子们，就像我的基金会资助的上百个阿克隆的三年级的孩子们一样，可以意识到没有地方比你成长的地方更好的了。也许他们在大学后会回到家乡，建立家庭，开展事业。那会让我微笑。我们的社区，在困难中挣扎了很久，需要一切能得到的天赋。
在俄亥俄东北部，没有什么是被给予的，一切都是赢得的。你工作才能得到你拥有的。
我已经准备好了接受这个挑战。我要回家了。