“It Wasn’t LeBron James’ Idea”: Executive Producer Looks Back at “The Decision” Ahead of the Release of its Backstory

It has been 10 years since LeBron James made an infamous move from his hometown club Cleveland Cavaliers to Miami Heat.

After coming into the Cavaliers side as the first overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, James played seven years for the club. By 2010, he was a two-time MVP and a six-time NBA All-Star. He had also won two All-Star game MVP awards, and he was the scoring champion in 2008.

In July 2010, James was to become an unrestricted free agent. He made an appearance on a special television show, The Decision, to make the announcement that he would be signing with Miami Heat. There was an immediate backlash on James’ decision. Many felt it was betrayal from LeBron James.

ESPN is set to run a show on Sunday about the backstory of the Decision. Talking about the Decision, executive producer Robert Abbott told the Denver Post how it led to huge criticism.

“The show was kind of a train wreck and was criticized across the board,” Abbott said. “ESPN got criticized, LeBron James got criticized, Jim Gray got criticized. LeBron was a villain for several years after it. But when you look back 10 years later, it was really the start of kind of a revolution that we didn’t know was happening as we watched.”

Although he did not reveal too much about Sunday’s show, he did drop a hint.

“It wasn’t Maverick Carter’s idea, it wasn’t LeBron James’ idea, it wasn’t ESPN’s idea, it wasn’t Bill Simmons’ idea and it wasn’t Jim Gray’s idea,” Abbott said. “It was somebody else’s idea.”

LeBron James later went on to lead Cleveland Cavaliers to their first NBA title

James might have been subject to criticism for his move in 2010. However, he earned a lot of respect when he returned to the Cavaliers and led them to their first title. His second stint in Cleveland started in 2014. By then, he had won two titles with Miami Heat and added two more MVP awards to his name.

James is currently playing for Los Angeles Lakers and is looking for his fourth NBA title.