In a revelation on ‘the BIG’ podcast with Shaquille O’Neal, former Heat guard Mario Chalmers revealed what life was like in Miami following LeBron’s departure in 2010. As he explained it on the podcast, Cavs fans were livid at LeBron, and one person even tried to grab an officer’s gun when James returned to the city for the first time as a member of the Heat.
“Bron’s first game, like, I’ve never seen fans that mad at a person. From people trying to throw batteries on the court, we had somebody try to grab an officer’s gun. Like, are you guys really that mad that he left Cleveland to come to Miami? Like, I’m confused. How can you be that mad? Y’all was just praising this man last year.”
The fans were pretty ruthless during LeBron’s first return to Cleveland. To this day, the level of hate and vitriol among the fans has yet to be topped, and it’s perhaps the most toxic environment any player has had to endure.
How did LeBron himself handle all the noise? According to Chalmers, it’s hard to say for sure how LeBron was thinking there was a point where he openly embraced being the villain.
“It’s hard to say because, at one point, he kind of embraced being a villain,” said Chalmers. “Like, okay, y’all don’t like me for making a decision that’s going to help my career or help me be a better basketball player? So is it real personal or y’all just don’t like what I did?”
LeBron James‘ move to the Heat in 2010 lit the NBA world on fire, but few groups were impacted more than Cavaliers fans. When James sent the franchise into rebuild mode, they had no choice but to watch as the team struggled to win games for years until he eventually came back.
Why Did LeBron James Leave The Cavaliers?
A place on the Cavaliers was actually the perfect fit for King James. He grew up in Akron as a kid and had an opportunity to lead the Cavs to their first title in franchise history. And while he would eventually accomplish that feat, it wasn’t before he endured years of struggle and failure in Cleveland.
Despite leading the Cavaliers to a lot of wins in his early years, LeBron was never able to take them all the way, and he never had quite enough to take down the best of the best in the NBA.
Recently, James opened up on the infamous decision and he admitted that the biggest reason he left is because he knew he couldn’t win. “I felt like I couldn’t do it in Cleveland. So, I had an opportunity to be a free agent. I did what I thought was best not only for my career but for me at that point in time,” said James.
There is no doubt that LeBron’s move in 2010 changed the entire trajectory of his career. Choosing to join the Heat made him a lot of enemies at the time, and it made him the biggest villain in the eyes of Cavaliers fans everyone. Fortunately, LeBron made it up to the city with a title years later, and LeBron’s legacy has been clean ever since.
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