Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert has come a long way from 2010, comic sans, and bitter sarcasm


LeBron James has officially left his hometown team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, for the Los Angeles Lakers, a move that has resulted in Angelenos losing their minds and Golden State Warriors fans being aggressively nonchalant. Most remarkably, it has sparked an extremely chill and gracious letter from Cavs owner Dan Gilbert, who offered his MVP kind pleasantries like "words do not express the meaning and feeling" that the team's 2016 championship "brought to the people of Northeast Ohio" and that "none of this would have happened if LeBron James did not agree to come back home and lead the Cavaliers to the promised land."
Of course, this is a dramatic change from the last time Gilbert had to address James' departure from the Cavaliers, in 2010, when he went to the Miami Heat. In scathing comic sans font, Gilbert had written then of James' "several day, narcissistic, self-promotional build-up culminating with a national TV special of his 'decision' unlike anything ever 'witnessed' in the history of sports and probably the history of entertainment."
That letter also contained vicious send-offs like "some people think they should go to heaven but NOT have to die to get there" and "the self-declared former 'King' will be taking the 'curse' with him down south." James has said as recently as 2017 that Gilbert's letter still "pops" into his head sometimes.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Apparently all it took was James' delivery on his promise to bring Cleveland a title for Gilbert to drop the comic sans and wish James the best. "We look forward to the retirement of the famous #23 Cavs jersey one day down the line..." Gilbert said in Monday's letter. Read it in full here.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
August 31 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include FEMA's new scheme, Gavin Newsom's antics, and a clue in the Epstein files
-
Disarming Hezbollah: Lebanon's risky mission
Talking Point Iran-backed militia has brought 'nothing but war, division and misery', but rooting them out for good is a daunting and dangerous task
-
Woof! Britain's love affair with dogs
The Explainer The UK's canine population is booming. What does that mean for man's best friend?
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclub
Speed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's view
Speed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play