LeBron James received a warm reception from the Cavs prior to their game against the Lakers in Cleveland. The Akron, Ohio native led the franchise to its sole championship in 2016 and played for them for 11 seasons after being the first pick in the 2003 draft. Despite hurt feelings when he left for the Heat in 2010, it seems that James has made amends with his hometown team. ESPN’s Dave McMenamin captured a photo of a screen outside the visitors’ locker room featuring a picture of James with the championship trophy and a message that read ‘Welcome back LeBron!’.
It’s been a while since LeBron James took the court in Cleveland, his last game there dating back to December 6 of last year. Unfortunately, his team ended up with a loss that day.
In 2016, LeBron James led the Cavs to their first and only championship title by defeating the Warriors. The last time he played in Cleveland was on December 6 last year, where he scored 21 points, had 17 rebounds and four assists, but it was not enough to prevent the Lakers from losing. The Cavs’ warm reception of James is a significant shift from the negative response following his controversial ‘Decision’ to play in South Beach. Following his departure, team owner Dan Gilbert wrote an open letter accusing James of cowardly betrayal. Fans even went as far as burning his jersey. However, after James led the Cavs to victory in 2016 and with the passage of time, the team seems to have embraced their hometown star once again. James, now 38 years old, continues to perform exceptionally, averaging 25.7 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 6.7 assists in his 21st season.