Fans Weren’t the Only Ones Devastated When Lebron James Left Cleveland to Join the Miami Heat
LeBron James made an announcement 10 years ago that caused a lot of anxiety for some people and excitement for others. He made the decision that he was leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers and joining the Miami Heat.
A former teammate of James was very disappointed and sad that he was leaving Cleveland. He wasn’t the only one, though.
LeBron James 2009-10 season with the Cavaliers
Going into the 2009-10 season, James was coming off an impressive season in which he was named NBA MVP. James was ready to lead his time to a deep postseason push. The Cavaliers lost to the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals the previous season, and that did not sit too well with James. During the 2009-10 season, James was forced into the point guard position, and he handled it well. James led the Cavaliers to a 61-21 record, which was the best in the NBA.
He averaged 29.7 points, 8.6 assists, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game. James led the team in scoring, assists, and steals. You take James off that team, and they do not have the success that they did. James’ performance that season allowed him to win the NBA MVP award for the second straight season. The award was well deserving for James as he put together one of the best seasons of his career.
Going into the playoffs, James had high hopes of taking the Cavaliers to the NBA Finals. In the first round, they took care of the Chicago Bulls, defeating them 4-1. During those five games, James averaged 31.8 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 8.2 assists. In the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Cavaliers had a tough test against the Boston Celtics. James could not get his team past the Celtics as they fell to them in the series 4-2. Cleveland was disappointed with James’ performance during that series, and little did they know that would be the last time he put on a Cavaliers jersey for a while.
LeBron James taking his talents to South Beach
On July 8, 2010, James decided to make his decision televised on national television. “In this fall I’m going to take my talents to South Beach,” James said. Just like that, his career in Cleveland was over at the time, and he was now a member of the Miami Heat. Cleveland fans were upset to hear that James was leaving. Some fans were burning his jersey and tearing posters of him down to the ground.
For James, the decision paid off as he went on to win back-to-back titles with the Heat. He wanted to win a championship, and that’s what he did. It certainly was not an easy decision for James to make, but it was the right move to make in his mind.
LeBron James’ ex-teammate was hurt when he found out his decision to leave Cleveland
Jamario Moon was a teammate with James on the Cavaliers. Moon was known for his leaping abilities, and he had the opportunity to play with one of the greatest players in the history of the NBA. In an appearance on the Scoop B. Podcast, Moon talked about his reaction when watching James’ decision.
“It was like one long funeral bro. 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,” Moon said. He was heartbroken to see him leave, and so were many other people. But James would return to Cleveland and help the team win their first title in franchise history.
