By FITSNews || Maybe it was the weather.
Maybe it was the fact that Florida doesn’t levy a state income tax.
Maybe it was the chance to play with fellow superstars Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade.
Whatever the reason(s), NBA superstar LeBron James announced on national television Thursday night that he was leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers after seven seasons to play basketball next year with the Miami Heat. James said he will sign a 5-year deal worth $99 million – although the fact that he finally made a decision is priceless, isn’t it?
One of the most-overhyped free agent decisions in sports history, the pressure is now squarely on James to win NBA championships. Michael Jordan won six of them, although his first didn’t come until he was 28 years old. James, who jumped to the NBA straight from high school, is still only 25 years old with seven seasons, six All-Star appearances and two league MVP crowns already under his belt.
In addition to being well-stocked with top-shelf talent, James’ new home also has a tradition of winning. Since entering the NBA in 1988 as an expansion franchise (along with the Charlotte Hornets), the Heat have been perennial playoff contenders. In fact, since 1991, the team has been a fixture in the postseason, appearing in fourteen out of the last nineteen playoffs.
They only have one championship to show for their efforts, though.
The Cavaliers made the playoffs in each of the last five years with James, however they were defeated – swept, in fact – by the San Antonio Spurs in their only trip to the NBA Finals in 2007.
Clearly, the Heat will begin the 2010-11 NBA season as the favorites to claim the crown James covets so desperately.
Pic: Via Daylife
By Ethan July 8, 2010 at 11:41 pm
Talk about a self center person…whats wrong with signing a piece of paper in relative privacy? theres no reason for him to take an hour of our national television time to tell us where hes gonna make money next
By leo July 9, 2010 at 12:58 am
This man is no dummy. He saved himself tens of millions by going to a state with no state income tax. Liberal taxation policies chased him away from the big urban population centers of the northeast and the west.
By thesushi July 9, 2010 at 6:16 am
dang it, I was hoping you’d have used “Cleveland Steamer” as your Lebron story headline…
By Buzz July 9, 2010 at 9:01 am
Who cares ? He’s just another overpaid self-centered prima donna. There are more important things in this world.
By Steve V July 9, 2010 at 9:48 am
Not only does Florida not have a state income tax, but they also don’t have the “Jock Tax” that Ohio(either state or local tax…can’t remember) does. Any professional athlete, no matter what team you play for, pays a tax if you play a game in the state of Ohio. And all athletes that play for Ohio teams still have to pay that tax if they play out of state, unless the state they are playing in has the same tax. No wonder Ohio teams can’t get (or hold on to) great players.
By JR July 9, 2010 at 10:33 am
The worst part of all of this is that the stooges at ESPN just went right along with his requests. What kind of “objective journalistic organization” allows a person it covers to have an hour long commercial that he totally dictates the parameters of? ESPN lost what little credibility it had with me by airing this joke of a special.
By Seymour Glass July 9, 2010 at 10:44 am
Well, FITS, you overlooked the singular (by multiple definitions) entertaining aspect of the evening… Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert’s bitchslap of James moments after the show aired:
http://www.nba.com/cavaliers/news/gilbert_letter_100708.html
By Toyota Kawaski July 9, 2010 at 11:32 am
More useless info from the Non Basketball Association.
By Alvin Green Cousin July 9, 2010 at 1:42 pm
Breaking Sports News………Alvin Green was traded to the Cleveland Cavs today by the South Carolina Democrat Party that will boast the Cavs to a NBA Title in the next few years…
By Jim July 9, 2010 at 2:56 pm
Looks like LeBron took the easy way out to me. Taking on the challenge of winning a title for his hometown in Cleveland would have been worth several championships with the new, stacked “Big Three” in Miami. He should have stayed the course in Cleveland, and his popularity would continue to soar, which automatically increases his income with more endorsements!
By CNSYD July 9, 2010 at 3:08 pm
leo and Steve V, FL may not have a state income tax but you can bet they have other ways to raise required revenue. I recall many years ago my sister moved to IN and bragged that they did not charge property tax on autos. Well she got her eyes opened when she paid for her license plates. What’s the difference what it is called, you are still out the money.
Toyota, agreed. There might actually be 5 people in the whole state of SC that care about the NBA.
By Pink Magic USPLabs July 19, 2010 at 1:39 pm
Hey, nice article. Well I have finally processed this whole ridiculous LBJ catastrophe. What a horrible plan! 1st, he fakes an injury and blows off the playoffs to make this all easier to go down. Then they create a complete circus out of it all and everyone gets sick of him before it even happens. Then this moron gets on TV in front of the entire country stabbing his hometown’s back for an hour, all while upsetting all other big cities except Miami, so that he can play on Dwayne Wade’s team! Talk about horrible marketing! Anyhow… slick site – I’m subscribed to your feed now so thanks again!