On this day 11 years ago, LeBron James made the infamous decision to take his talents to South Beach.
After seven seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, his hometown team, James entered free agency as an unrestricted free agent, and it wasn’t clear if he’d return or seek to start a new chapter elsewhere.
James was the most coveted player on the market because his decision on where to go next would dramatically alter the landscape of the NBA for years to come.
Among the other notable free agents that year were Dirk Nowitzki, Amare Stoudemire, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Joe Johnson, Carlos Boozer and more.
Then, it was announced James would reveal his choice on ESPN, which became known as “The Decision”:
11 years ago, LeBron James announced he was taking his talents to South Beach 🔥 pic.twitter.com/YqBdNPuFbY
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 8, 2021
Joining James with the Miami Heat were Wade and Bosh, who formed a new trio to try to bring multiple championships to the city.
Miami won back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013 after coming up short in 2011 against the Dallas Mavericks.
James won the NBA Finals MVP award both of those times, and the 2012 title was James’ first in his career. And, of course, James made the All-Star game during all four seasons he played in Miami.
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