"The Decision" 10 Years Later

In 2010, the NBA's free agency class was turned up to eleven. Some of the biggest names in the league were about to get paid A LOT! Dwyane Wade, Amare Stoudamire, Carlos Boozer, Joe Johnson and Chris Bosh were the marquee names ready to get such payment. Then there was the biggest name of the class, LeBron James. LeBron turned the Cleveland Cavaliers into a title contender merely by myself. The franchise has tried to surround him with talent to help bring a championship to Cleveland. They have fallen short on both spectrums. Also the head coach and G.M. "parted ways" with the organization during this time. The Cavs' season was deemed a failure by owner Dan Gilbert and he figured bringing in new blood could shake up the franchise. LeBron had six suitors vying for his services: The New Jersey Nets, Chicago Bulls, L.A.Clippers, New York Knicks, Miami Heat and the Cleveland Cavaliers. He had a tough decision to make, so he and his camp decided to make that decision.......on national TV in an hour long special.

"The Decision" was aired on July 8 of that year on ESPN. It was filmed at a Boys and Girls club in Greenwich, Connecticut where the proceeds would go to charity. The legendary Jim Gray would narrate the program. Wait, was Jim Gray even employed by ESPN? Didn't matter. This was what Team LeBron wanted. Anyway, LeBron would have the floor on this 75 minute special to announce his intention to play for any of the six franchises who he visited during his free-agency tour.

Now, right off the bat, various people looked at this as a self entitled situation that LeBron and his camp put himself into. But looking at it, attention has followed LeBron since his pre-teen years. He was on the cover of Sports Illustrated while in high school, labeled "The Chosen One". His high school games were televised on ESPN and they had to move some games to NBA-sized arenas so fans could watch his games live. Attention and LeBron James seem to be a perfect fit. And attention it received. Almost 10 million people, including myself, watched LeBron talk about his career, how he enjoyed the free agency process and obviously, his decision. The scroll at the bottom which is reserved for scores was used for LeBron's accomplishments throughout his NBA career, so far. I wanted to point out that a few days earlier, Chris Bosh agreed to a sign-and-trade deal to get him out of Toronto and get him to Miami. There was a time when players wanted to get out of Toronto. Dwyane Wade then re-upped with the Heat. Amare Stoudamire and Carlos Boozer signed with the Knicks and Bulls, respectively. The dominoes were falling in place. So, after about 30 minutes into the program, Gray asked where LeBron would be playing next year. LeBron answered in a quote that has been butchered to death for a decade.

He will take his talents to South Beach and join the Miami Heat. He, Wade and Bosh would form a superteam and become a power in the Eastern Conference.

At first, my thinking was LeBron wanted to join a team that featured two other megastars that will help Miami win a championship. Many sports figures were unsure about LeBron forming a superteam to a point to where they chastised and called him a false leader. The city of Miami was excited. However, the city of Cleveland and the state of Ohio was PISSED!!!! Throughout the second half of the program, it showed Cavalier fans crying, mad as hell and even burning LeBron's #23 Cavs jersey. They felt as if he turned his back on them. Dan Gilbert also joined in on the sorrow posting a scathing letter about the decision. Google it and read the letter. After ten years, it is still hilarious to me. Gilbert comes out as a jilted person losing the prettiest girl in school.

So, after "The Decision", the Heat had an introductory event at AmericanAirlines Arena with the three, where LeBron promised championship after championship after championship. They would get two NBA titles in LeBron's four years in Miami. In 2014, he would surprise everyone and rejoin the Cavaliers, finally winning a title in 2016 for the long suffering fans of Cleveland. In 2018, LeBron would sign with the Los Angeles Lakers. Both times upon changing teams, he didn't use a 75 minute TV special to do it.

"The Decision" was a self-serving plot that propelled a superstar to go to a team which delivered him his long awaited title. Hell, high school recruits use TV to announce their choice in college around National Signing Day. It is self-serving........

But it was somewhat entertaining.

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