LeBron James changed the NBA forever 13 years ago when he took his talents to South Beach and joined the Miami Heat in one of the most controversial free agency decisions ever. James opened up on his motivations behind the move ahead of the Lakers facing the Heat.
“I came here for one reason and for one reason only: to win championships. That was my only goal. That’s the only reason that I teamed up with D-Wade and Bosh. Because 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. I was 25, so I come down here and I get an opportunity to learn, instill what I have learned.”
Hating on LeBron’s ‘Decision‘ over a decade later is pointless. Even though he promised to win up to eight NBA titles, he’ll settle for the two he won in four seasons with the Miami Heat. They made the Finals in every season James was with them, with those years also being smack dab in the middle of his athletic prime.
James averaged 26.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 6.7 assists during his four years with Miami, winning two league MVPs, two Finals MVPs, finishing as runner-up in Defensive Player of the Year, and establishing the first successes of what’s gone on to be one of the greatest careers in the history of the sport.
Did LeBron James Enjoy His Time In Miami?
LeBron would have a very short stint with the Heat, only spending four seasons with the franchise. Everyone expected James to spend a lot more time with the Heat, but he left the franchise in 2014 to return to Cleveland. A lot of reports indicated tension between James, Pat Riley, and Erik Spoelstra at the time.
James was asked by the Miami Herald to discuss his time with the Heat, and LeBron only had positive things to say about the second stop of his career.
“I learned a lot from being here. It was great times. Obviously, my four years here were great times. Playing for this franchise, playing under Spo [coach Erik Spoelstra], obviously me being with D-Wade [Dwyane Wade] and [Chris] Bosh and UD [Udonis Haslem] and so many other guys that we had on the court throughout the four years that we had. We did some really good things, really special things that we did here. This was definitely a big part of my career.”
Given the friendship James and Dwyane Wade shared and have built over the years, it had to have been fun for James to team up with him. We all know that the pair wanted Carmelo Anthony to be the third guy, but Chris Bosh was phenomenal in his own right and got arguably the most important rebound in franchise history.
James has done everything he can to maximize his success in the NBA, a trend that began when he left the Cavaliers for the Heat. It sharpened his skin a lot, given the media hate he received, making him stronger for everything that was yet to come. This included his move to the Cavaliers in 2014, which upset members of the Heat, especially players like Dwayne Wade.
All is well that ends well, and the Heat have already made two Finals since LeBron left, In that same time, LeBron has made five Finals and won two titles, so it’s clear he made the right call.
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