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CLEVELAND – LeBron James was welcomed for the first time at the Quicken Loans Arena as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers with a warm cheer from Cleveland fans on Wednesday.
Sean Peebles, announcer of the Cleveland Cavaliers speech, kept James's name for the end of the evening by presenting the starting lineup for the visiting Lakers, using an inflection of the voice normally reserved for the local team. The crowd responded by getting up and applauding James with an ovation that lasted almost a minute.
James hugged former teammates Channing Frye and Larry Nance Jr. on the sidelines before heading to the central court, where he traded his own handshake with Tristan Thompson.
James scored for the first time in possession of the Lakers, arousing the applause of the crowd when he caught the ball, then some nonsense after his score allowed the Lakers to climb on the score of 2-0.
On December 2, 2010, James was back for the first time as a member of the Miami Heat and the Cavs had to hire additional security agents to deal with this intense atmosphere. Of course, when James returned in 2010, there was also no Cavs championship banner hanging from the rafters.
During the first quarter of the first quarter, the Cavs showed a video tribute to James on the video display panel, which contained the message: "Thank you for what you did on the field, but we all know that it's bigger than basketball. "
On Wednesday morning, James visited the I Promise School in Akron, Ohio, which he opened this summer. He has leveraged his company relationships to fund the school that targets youth at risk.
The eight-part docuseries, produced by UNINTERRUPTED and broadcast on ESPN +, will follow the unlikely journey of LeBron James and Maverick Carter from Akron to the world stage. Watch on ESPN +
Maverick Carter, a close friend and business partner of James, sits near the Lakers bench for the match. Two supporters sitting near the tunnel where the Lakers enter the field came into play in James' Cavs and Lakers jersey mash. The one carried "Clev-ers", the other "Lak-land".
"Just another game, really," James told ESPN this week, while waiting for the game. "I have not really thought about it, our team is a totally different team over there, obviously some of my guys are here with Swish. [JR Smith] and double t [Thompson], Kev [Kevin Love] and Channing is back too – the guys who were there when we won that title. But it's a totally different make-up. A totally different situation. Coach [Tyronn] Read is gone. Obviously Griff [former general manager David Griffin] left. I think it all started with all the Rie [Kyrie Irving] Trade. So it's a completely different feeling. "
James arrived at the arena about two and a half hours before departure, shaking the hand of several familiar faces as he headed to the visitors' locker room for the first time since he was playing with the Heat. He took the court about 10 minutes from the end of the match and the crowd, still going back into the arena, recognized him with a standing ovation, which only made him happy. Aggravate when it was officially introduced and that video tribute was made.
Cavs coach Larry Drew, who was an assistant in Cleveland for the last four years while James led the Cavs to four consecutive NBA finals and a championship in 2016, was asked before the match if the The organization could have done otherwise to retain its local superstar.
"I do not think there was anything to do to do more," said Drew. "I mean, it was just the decision that a player takes when he is in a certain part of his career, he must certainly pay attention to himself.He must pay attention to his family. He must make the decision that he deems best for him, that's what the players do, and to be perfectly honest, when he made that decision, I was not completely shocked.I know everyone really hoped that he would come back, but Bron is a real pro.He will make the best decision, and he will make the right decision for himself, his family and his career, and that's what he did. "
Cavs owner Dan Gilbert, who normally sits near Cleveland Bank, was not present at the time of James' homage.
James wore a pair of white and green Nike LeBron 7s in St. Vincent-St. The colors of Mary High School, originally released in 2009 – her last season of her first stint with the Cavs – for the game.
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