Well, tonight LeBron James will be making a return to Cleveland wearing a uniform for a different team in Los Angeles. His Lakers team is 3-1 while the Cavs themselves remain 4-0 after an incredible win over the New York Knicks on the road. However, I just think of this matchup as wild to think about for a number of reasons.
On Dec. 2, 2010, James returned to Cleveland as a member of the Miami Heat for the first time. After playing seven years for the hometown Cavaliers, he made “The Decision” to leave for Miami that summer.
It’s simply amazing to process the return tonight compared to that first homecoming before. Honestly, it was scary thinking about the safety of LeBron with how much fans in Cleveland completely hated the guy for his decision made.
Of course, James went 15-25 for 38 points and added five rebounds and eight assists. The Heat went on the win 118-90 and silence everyone in these parts.
I’ll admit, just like every other normal Cleveland fan at the time. Well, I hated the guy. And the way the atmosphere was at the arena, it was scary in The Land.
Well, now it’s October 20, 2024 and there have been a bit of a few changes over time.
Uhh..first. Thanks LeBron for that title. That cool block against the Warriors to win Game 7 and such. Yeah…that was nice.
LeBron would go on to come back to Cleveland, win said title and then ultimately leave again to play for the Lakers in 2018 and has played there ever since.
Now, fans should be cheering and appreciating what I believe is the best player to ever play basketball on this planet (sorry Michael Jordan lovers).
Another interesting difference in this game compared to the 2010 matchup is those Cavaliers were absolutely terrible. These Cavs, with the 4-0 record to begin with, are showing just how good a team Cleveland has and the exciting future with a different superstar in Donovan Mitchell leading the way. This game will be a very interesting battle between two of the elite teams in the league. The first time the Cavs are good without LeBron.
Also, it’s time to remember that LeBron himself is 39 years of age. The King isn’t going to last forever in regards to playing in the NBA and his greatness should be appreciated by everyone because he’s still elite, amazingly.
Watch this game with an appreciation for the present because no one truly knows with the future holds and that is the truth with not just LeBron but even these Cavs alone and their strong start. Boy, is it an exciting one.
Lastly, here is something for to think about in regards to the future.
LeBron is in the first year of a giant two-year contract worth 104 million. This means he’d be eligible to sign elsewhere after the ’25-’26 season. Many wonder if that’s simply the time to retire and move on to bigger and better things.
Or…maybe just maybe. Could we see, “The Return 2.0” to finish off his career in Cleveland for the last few seasons once more? That would be special.
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