Majority owner Dan Gilbert was not far behind Cleveland Cavaliers fans last night, who set LeBron James jerseys and paraphernalia on fire after announcing he would play for the Miami Heat. Gilbert published an open letter to fans on the team website ripping apart the former hometown hero.
NBA basketball free agent LeBron James waits to make his announcement that he is leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat, at the Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich on Thursday, July 8, 2010, in Greenwich, Conn. (AP Photo/Greenwich Time, Bob Luckey
LeBron, who chose to make his decision via television broadcast at the Boys and Girls Club in Greenwich, CT was called, “narcissistic” by his former team’s owner, a disappointment and was accused of, “cowardly betrayal.”
He called the decision a, “heartless and callous action,” that would only serve as “the antidote to the so-called curse on Cleveland.”
Gilbert attempted to uplift Cleveland fans by saying; “I personally guarantee that the Cleveland Cavaliers will win a championship before the self-titled former ‘King’ wins one.” He predicted that LeBron will take the curse to Miami, and will only be rid of it when he “does right” by his hometown.
He called LeBron the, “homegrown ‘Chosen One,’” and added that he should no longer be a role model for children. He ended the visibly angry letter saying, “Sleep well, Cleveland. Tomorrow is a new and much brighter day…”
As a reaction to the harsh aftermath of his announcement, LeBron has increased security at his home located outside of Cleveland. Said a former fan on Twitter, “Lebron James was Superman in Cleveland. In Miami, he’ll be Robin to Dwane Wade as Batman.”
Cleveland fans were joined by hopeful Knicks fans who also were also disappointed by the “King.” New York Post’s sports section today is a picture of LeBron titled, “Son of A Beach!” The front page called him, “LeBum!” The Daily News wrote, “Hey, we’re New York, the greatest city in the world, so… WHO CARES!” Newsday dubbed the move, “LeGone.”
Wade, one of LeBron’s new teammates said, “This don’t come around often. History in the making—but it’ll only become history if we do what we came together to do, and that’s win championships.”
