Clevelanders Tell Us How They Feel About LeBron James Coming Back

Photo by Keith Allison

It's been about four years since Northern Ohio native LeBron James left the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat. Back then, Ohioans were so butthurt about it, fans even lit their LBJ jerseys on fire in the streets. But who wouldn't have been pissed off by the Decision? It was one of the biggest dick moves of the century perpetrated against a part of the country that has suffered enough indignation. I mean, besides the times we watched LeBron play for the Cavs, everything we know about Northeastern Ohio comes from that shitty Drew Carey sitcom and the Urban Dictionary definition of a Cleveland Steamer (if you've never walked on the wild side, the city's hallmark sex act involves pooping on your lover's chest and smearing it around).

Now that the King is returning to Cleveland, we wanted to find out if folks who hail from Northern Ohio still wanna throw their LBJ Swingmans into the fires burning on top of the Cuyahoga River. Here's what they had to say—most of it was pretty positive.

Nick Zaller is a super fresh 12-year-old who rocks cool sneakers and lives in Mentor 

VICE: How do you feel about LeBron coming back to Cleveland?
Nick: I’m happy about it because I feel the Cleveland program will be a lot better and we'll have a better chance of making it to the finals.

How did you feel when he first left? 
It wasn’t a good time for Cleveland. We were broken down at that point. The way he left was very rude. He showed all the teams that he could have gone to but he did not even mention Cleveland or how he was sorry or anything.

With him coming back, do you forgive him? 
Well, I never stopped supporting LeBron. Even after the Decision, I would wear my LeBron jersey to school. People used to laugh and boo me for it. But look who's laughing now.

Andre Smith is a 26-year-old who works in public relations and went to high school in Shaker Heights and now resides in New York City

How do you feel about LeBron coming back to Cleveland?
Andre: It’s good, the city definitely needed it. It’s not a surprise to me. He matured a lot. He realized what he needed was the city. It’s not just about basketball. It’s more than just a game. He understands that he’s a winner and he understands why he did what he did. This move wasn’t about money. He realizes he owes the city this. So he’s coming back home.

When you say it’s not about money, what do you think it’s about?
Money was factored into this decision, but it’s about more. The squad is young. The pieces set in place now could allow him to achieve more than they could accomplish four or five years ago. Right now, to bring a championship to his home state is the number one goal for him. He wants to put Cleveland on the map.

What’s the worst thing he could do at this moment to make people angry?
The worst thing he could do is come up short and not deliver a championship. That would be a slap in the face.

Mike Scherf is 32-year-old who works in marketing communications and lives in Lyndhurst. 

How do you feel about LeBron coming back to Cleveland?
Mike: I think it’s awesome. It’s crazy because the games have been terrible since he left and obviously it would be really cool to have a great team again—a team that could finally win the title. I think it’s even better for the city because when LeBron was making his decision, it could have gone either way. It could have been really embarrassing for the city and made us look really shitty. I’m just kind of glad we’re not going to be embarrassed.

Do you think him coming back is an apology for the way he left? 
He doesn’t necessarily need to apologize. Look, I think the fans did some pretty shitty stuff when he left. The Cavaliers’ owner did some fucked up stuff. I think LeBron was also shitty. It’s all unfortunate, but it’s been four years. Everyone has sort of atoned for what happened. And how often do people choose to come to Cleveland? For a young rich dude to want to come back and play here, after playing in maybe the most appealing city for a young rich person, it’s awesome. We're just tired of losing. We're ready to win.

Ryan Jones is a 26-year-old who grew up in Shaker Heights and currently works in sales in Washington, DC.

How does LeBron coming back make you feel?
Ryan: It makes me want to visit more. I left Northern Ohio, too. So I can respect how he could go somewhere else and grow and then ultimately come back home to try and help make Ohio a better place.

Are you still pissed about the way he left?
The way he did it was so disrespectful to the people who take sports seriously in Cleveland. To have the greatest player who ever put on a Cleveland uniform—outside of Jim Brown—leave our city was a slap in the face. But the fact that he is back is great. We have to let bygones be bygones.

Do you think there is still beef between LeBron and Gilbert?
I don't think there will be any clashes. I like what Gilbert did when LeBron left. I think he captured a lot of the city's passion and anger. The fact that the owner was passionate enough to display that was awesome. At the end of the day, LeBron knows Gilbert is one of the few owners who will spend the money to make a win. There is a mutual yearning between them to bring a championship to the Midwest.

Will it help Cleveland's economy?
Anyone who was in Cleveland back when LeBron was playing knows the games were sold out, the local bars and local restaurants were packed, and people were going out and spending money. His return will definitely improve the economy.

Peter Larson is a 26-year-old photographer who lives in Cleveland's Ohio City neighborhood. 

How do you feel about LeBron coming back to Cleveland?
Peter: There’s two kinds of people in Cleveland: You are either begging for him to come back or you are like, Fuck him we don’t need him. I was trying to stay neutral because I didn't want to be one of those people who are pretty desperate. I was somewhere in the middle. I didn’t care. I liked where the Cavs were going even before he decided to come back… I like the Cavs more than I like him. Let’s just put it that way.

Do you think the people of Cleveland are ready to take him back? 
People are going to forget pretty quickly what happened four years ago. There will be a minority of people who will be haters, but for the most part, people are going to be happy.

What could he do to fall out of your good graces this time?
He publicly humiliated us by making that decision on TV, I don’t even know what else is worse that he could even do.

Wilbert L. Cooper Sr. is a 56-year-old retired Cleveland police officer. He grew up on 16th and Union in Cleveland and is the father of one of our senior editors. 

So how do you feel about LeBron coming back to Ohio?
Wilbert: Well I’m happy, but some of my feelings are ambivalent. As someone from the black community, I felt the vitriol LeBron suffered when he left. The nastiness and the name calling by the owner Dan Gilbert was reprehensible. Lebron James is an athlete, he’s not a slave or anybody’s property. And he left when he had the right to leave. But I am happy about his return because he has the possibility of fulfilling his dreams and the dreams of most of my generation. We didn’t have a championship for any Cleveland team. The last time we had a championship was in 1964 when I was like five or six years old. For a Cleveland team to win a championship would be fantastic. It would be incredible.

Do you think race really played a part in the way the city responded to LeBron leaving?
I think everybody’s happy and everybody’s thrilled, now. But I can’t forget the ferocity, the hatred, and the terrible behavior of this town when they were burning his jersey. It was a horrible moment. A lot of the animosity was legitimate. I understand people being angry and upset. But the statement that Gilbert put out was reprehensible and I think it brought out a spirit within this town that was really nasty and I won’t be able to forget it… But I guess LeBron can. And I think it’s wonderful that he can because he’s a member of a better generation. My generation is a little harder about these things. We hang on to our animosity and to the things that upset us more so than his generation. They’re more forgiving. Which I’m sure is a good thing.

Chantay Jordan is 26-year-old who grew up on the East Side of Cleveland and now lives in New York City, working in real estate. 

How do you feel about LeBron coming back to Cleveland?
Chantay: Man, if words could express how I feel. Let me just wipe the tears of joy from my face… For LeBron to come back and choose us, it shows he has an enormous character. He made the decision to right his wrongs. You make a decision and you realize your mistake and if you have the opportunity to fix it, you fix it. The fact that he cared enough and he recognized that we care is monumental to me.

What about the people that are really angry? 
People that are angry in Cleveland are just retarded. I understand he left the wrong way, but the man came back God damn it. Give him a break.

You think that him winning a championship is enough to redeem himself? 
No, him coming back is redemption enough. Even if he never wins in Cleveland, he’s a winner in my eyes. I forgive him. I love him. This is huge.

How did you feel when he first left?
I wasn’t one of the ones that was burning jerseys, but I was hurt. It felt like a man lead me to the altar, we were about to give our vows, and everyone’s expecting him, and then tells me: "I can’t do this."

And now you’re ready to take him back? 
Yeah, absolutely! If girls can take back a boyfriend that’s cheated on you, you mean to tell me that you won’t take back the best player in the world? Like, let’s be sensible here. People make mistakes. LeBron James is no different. He’s chasing his dreams. He could probably be better than Jordan.

Jill Ferree is a 25-year-old who works in public relations relations. She grew up in Strongsville and now lives in New York City.

How do you feel about the whole LeBron thing? 
Jill: I’m super pumped up about it. I have a lot of emotions.

Are they all positive?
For me, they’re all positive. I’ve always been a LeBron fan, even when he left. It was sad obviously when the decision happened.

How did it feel when he first left?
It’s funny because I was still in school, but I was in New York for an internship and I was at my sister’s apartment. She was like gone for the weekend and I like remember it vividly. I was watching it and I was just like “What the fuck? No! My god, why did he do that?”

What would you compare that pain to?
It’s not comparable, really. I don’t know know Lebron, but I feel like I know him. We all felt like he was our guy and then he just left. But I understood what he wanted to do—play at a higher level and win championships… It’s kind of hard for me to bash that.

How do you feel now? Are you like super pumped and excited?
Today was awesome. We keep making a joke, calling it LeBron Day. I’m also super excited for Cleveland.

Why?
It’s going to be bring an awesome energy back to Cleveland. I’m excited for the fans, I’m excited for him, for his family. He’s the man. I love LeBron. I also think it’s going to make the NBA interesting. The Cavs are going to be on everybody’s mind. I think it will be awesome. I’m excited to go home for a game.

Archie Green is 28-year-old who works in banking and lives in Solon. 

How did you feel when LeBron left the city? 
It was crazy. I was disappointed and hurt. But you know how passionate Cleveland fans are. I definitely think the hate towards LeBron got out of hand, though. And at the end of the day, I can't fault him for doing what he felt he needed to do to get a ring.

Would you have come back if you were him?
Yeah, if I was LeBron I would have come back because there is no place like home. Bringing your hometown their first NBA championship says a whole lot more than doing it elsewhere.

What does this say about Cleveland right now?
This is the right time. This is the icing on the cake for the resurgence of Cleveland. Cleveland is becoming one of the greatest metropolitan cities for young professionals.