Cleveland Cavalier fans were disgusted when James decided to host a one-hour special in July to announce his departure from the team. Fans burned replica LeBron James jerseys and the team’s emotionally unstable owner, Dan Gilbert, released an unprofessional rant aimed at James.
In the scathing letter, Gilbert called James a narcissist and accused the player of quitting in the playoffs. Rev. Jesse Jackson said that Gilbert’s reaction was similar to a slave owner who discovered that his slave had left the plantation. Gilbert was eventually fined $100,000 by the NBA for his letter.
Although Gilbert recently told reporters that he’s over James leaving his team, it became evident that he still holds an unshakable grudge against James. Gilbert has hired a law firm and shelled out over $100,000 for the group to investigate the Miami Heat. Gilbert hopes that the law firm discovers that the Heat tampered with James prior to his signing. It’s highly unlikely that the investigation would reveal any earthshaking discoveries, but Gilbert’s relentless pursuit to make James’ life miserable has become an unseemly obsession.
James will be booed furiously inside the Quickens Loans arena as he wears a Miami Heat uniform. However, Gilbert and the fans in Cleveland should thank James for making that bewildered team a legitimate franchise during his playing days. They should reflect on those years and move on. The future of their franchise depends on it. –amir shaw
