LeBron’s ascent takes Cleveland on rollicking ride
CLEVELAND– Basketball’s always been about LeBron James here: his arrival, his departure, his return, every emotion imaginable coursing through the citizenry.
It gives this hardscrabble city, one desperate for some kind of renaissance and revitalization, something to be proud of and to celebrate, a global icon more closely associated with the city where he plays than perhaps any other.
Certainly in the NBA he is unique, a northeastern Ohioan born and bred, a true hometown hero from nearby Akron who now represents his city and region like no other figure in the league.
Players have teams with which they are associated. None go to depths of James and Cleveland.
He has brought the city great joy — an NBA final appearance in 2006, another in 2015 that’s already included the first championship series victory in franchise history.
He has brought the city great despair — his departure for Miami in 2010 created deep layers of pain and suffering among jilted fans who vilified him for years.
He is Cleveland sports, for good and for bad.
“It means everything,” he said after the Cavaliers beat the Golden State Warriors in Game 2 on Sunday night.
“It means everything to be able to be a part of history and to get this win for this franchise, for our city, for all the Cavs fans all over the world.”
James’s return has hastened a revitalization of the downtown core. It may not be as boisterous as Jurassic Park outside the Air Canada Centre during first-round playoff games, but the success of James and the Cavs is clearly felt in the neighbourhood.
An area once deathly boring even during Cavs games is now hopping. Four hours before tipoff for Tuesday night’s Game 3, the streets were jammed with fans and outdoor patios a stone’s throw from the Quicken Loans Arena had lineups.
There were times when the streets were deserted. James came back, the Cavs started to win and the area benefited.
“The city of Cleveland has been through ups and downs in terms of professional sports with the Indians (losing) the World Series and LeBron’s leaving and Baltimore (the former Browns) wins, and for Cleveland being in the finals, I think it was ’07, and LeBron now back,” Tristan Thompson said.
“Definitely had ups and downs, but that just motivates us more to do it for them and do it for northeast Ohio.”
According to Cleveland civic officials, the estimated economic impact for each Cavs home playoff game is $3.6 million.
As part of the downtown surge, which quickened when James came back to Cleveland last summer, the city will see the number of urban core hotel rooms increase by more 50 per cent by 2016, the city’s Public Square nearby is undergoing a $30million upgrade, and the theatre district just went through $16 million worth of improvements.
The city will host the 2016 Republican Party convention as part of its renaissance.
And the key name is James, who has provided a level of excitement in downtown Cleveland that’s hard to describe.
He’s seen now as something of a saviour. The letter announcing his return to the Cavaliers last fall was an homage to his roots and his desire to give Cleveland something to be proud of.
“I just want to try to give it all back to them the best way I can, both on the floor and off the floor — as a role model, as a basketball player, as a father, whatever the case may be,” he said before the series began. “I think they recognize my passion, not only on the floor but off the floor, and I recognize their passion as well. So it’s mutual.”