“He Cheated”: Former Cavs Player on How LeBron James Left A Devastating Impact On Fans

About a decade ago, LeBron James stunned the NBA world by announcing his “decision.” LeBron’s contract with his hometown team Cleveland Cavaliers had come to an end and he became an unrestricted free agent. Thus, that is when the announcement came from LeBron that he would be taking his talents to south beach and join the Miami Heat. 

Millions around the world tuned into to watch LeBron making his decision. Several fans were excited that LeBron would be going to the Heat along with Chris Bosh to form a super-trio with Dwyane Wade. On the other hand, Cleveland fans could not hide their frustration and vented out their displeasure about the move. 

On December 2, 2010, LeBron James returned to Cleveland for the first time since joining the Heat. Naturally, the fans’ love turned into hate when James joined the Heat, which felt like a betrayal to them. 

In a recent episode of the ‘Scoop B Radio Podcast,’ host Brandon Robinson learned more about how loyal Cleveland fans reacted to James’ deal as former Cavs player Jamario Moon joined the show. 

Moon played with the Cavs for two years from 2009-11 and was there with the team when LeBron signed with the Heat. The 40-year-old had a lot to share about how the Cavs fans reacted to the electrifying deal of their first pick of the 2003 draft. 

Fans felt like LeBron James cheated on them when he moved to Miami

Jamario Moon had the first-hand experience of being in Cleveland and watching the fans react to LeBron’s decision. And the Alabama native phrased his words to convey a more connective meaning on the podcast. 

“It was like one long funeral bro,” Moon told the host. Moreover, he feels that the city endured a dreadful time initially when LeBron was not a part of the team. “It was like just everything – I’m serious bruh, it was like the air just got sucked out of everybody like, ‘Man, I can’t believe this.’ But I think the fans…they were hurt. Like they were – like, LeBron was married to them and he cheated on them or something.”

LeBron and the Cavs established a strong connection with each other as soon as they picked him in the 2003 draft. James suited up for the Cavs seven years before he chose to make a different move. During the course of his first Cavs stint, LeBron was a game-changer on the court. He led the Cavs to inspiring playoff runs, carrying them on his back. 

LeBron kept his promise to the city of Cleveland

The Cavs didn’t win a title in LeBron’s first stint with the team. In fact, the team hadn’t won an NBA championship in their history until LeBron came back. King James kept and fulfilled his promise to the city. 

When he returned to the Cavs in 2014, he vowed to his fans that the city would be champions by the time he left. LeBron James activated beast mode when he joined the Cavs in 2014. He took them to four straight finals and managed to win one championship in 2016. 

“Man, I’m so happy that man came back and got that championship for them fans,” Jamario Moon told Scoop B Radio. “LeBron never really left outside of Akron and that surrounding area…” so, he used the time that he went to Miami for like, college years,” Moon continued. 

“Like, he went off to college and got away and doing his thing, and now he comes back home. So basically, he went to college and got his degree, came home and won a championship for Cleveland. That’s how I looked at it after the fact.”