James’ Cleveland state of mind

LeBron James hopes that Cleveland will forgive him, said J.R. Moehringer in GQ, but he’s not holding his breath. Several weeks after the biggest free agent in NBA history devastated Cleveland Cavaliers fans by joining the Miami Heat, James says Cleveland’s reaction to his leaving “touched my heart.”

But he’s less than sympathetic to those who expressed their hurt in ugly ways, such as the fans who burned his souvenir jerseys, or Cavs owner Dan Gilbert, who accused James of “a narcissistic betrayal.” “Maybe the ones burning my jersey,” James says, “were never LeBron fans anyway.” As for Gilbert, James says he was glad he finally got to see the man’s true colors. “My mother always told me: ‘You will see the light of people when they hit adversity.’ It made me feel more comfortable I made the right decision.”

Despite all the bad blood, the Akron native says Ohio will always be his home, and he doesn’t even rule out the possibility of playing for Cleveland again someday. “If there was an opportunity for me to return and those fans welcome me back,” he says, “that’d be a great story.”

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