LeBron James The Decision Five things yo

On July 8, 2010, LeBron James changed the landscape of the NBA for years to come with a few simple words: "I'm gonna take my talents to South Beach."It took him quite some time to actually say those words, of course. Why get straight to the point when you can unnece sarily drag things out and infuriate an entire fan base?"The Decision," an unprecedented ESPN special that brought an end to one of the wildest free-agency periodsin sports history, was instantly viewed as a total PR failure more than a decade ago. Fans and pundits alike ripped James and ESPN for the poorly organized show, setting the stage for a season of LeBron and the Heat playingthe league's biggest villains.Despite its flaws, "The Decision" did cause a major ripple effect thatbenefited James' NBA brethren. It ushered inthe player empowerment era and allowedsuperstars to takecontrol of their careers. (Just look atKevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard.) It also marked a shift in how the basketball world perceived free agency and launched the year-round rumor mill.And for James himself, leaving the Cavs and joining the Heat ultimately proved to be a smart choice. He reached four NBA Finals, won two championships and captured twoMVP trophies while in Miami before heading back to Cleveland in 2014. He showed he had learned from his Khalil Mack Jersey mistakes that year, sharing a letter through announcing his decision.You probablyremember the big-picture talking points that were hammered into the groundand the intense backlash James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh faced at the time. But there are a fewdetails about "The Decision" thatslid under the radar.MORE: 1. The original idea for "The Decision" didn't come from James, a member of his inner circle or a TV producer. It was actually .An email from a manidentified asDrewof Columbus, Ohio,landed at the top of the and asked, "What if LeBron announces he will pick his 2010-11 team live on Chicago Bears Home Office ABC on a certain date for a show called 'LeBron's Choice'?"Simmons agreed the event should be televised and proposeda pay-per-view option."I'm pretty sure they'll pony up $44.99 for 'Decision 2010: LeBron's Verdict,'" Simmons wrote.Simmons later pitched the special to James' busine s partner Maverick Carter at the 2010 All-Star break, according to , who chronicled the genesis of "The Decision" as part of the network's "Backstory" documentary series. ESPN didn't immediately greenlight the idea, but it eventually reached an agreement with James.Thanks, Drew!2. Former NBA commi sioner David Stern really, really didn't want "The Decision" to happen. He pushed for ESPN to cancel it."I think he didn't like it probably because the player was in charge here," former ESPN executive John Skipper told Van Natta.Adam Silver, who took over as commi sioner after Stern retired in 2014, , noting the ridiculously high ratings for ESPN(an average of nearly 10 million viewers). It also for the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.Still, Stern wouldn't budge from his stance aftercalling the whole thing 3. Jim Gray wasn't ESPN's first choice to host "The Decision" he didn't even work for ESPN at the time but there was no room for negotiations.Network executives wantedsomeone like Bob Ley or Stuart Scott to sit acro s from James at the Boys and Girls Club in Greenwich, Conn., according to Van Natta. James' team insisted Gray, who had interviewed James while he was in high school and spoken toCarter and agent Ari Emanuel about doing a TV special, be involved Alec Ogletree Jersey in the broadcast.Gray didn't initially understand the high volume of criticism, and he still couldn't comprehend ityears later."We did a television show a television show!" Gray told in 2016.His one regret? He didn't ask for money because he knew all proceeds were going to charity."They should have paid me," Graysaid of ESPN. "They should have paid me a ton." 4. Kanye West was in attendance for "The Decision," and he fell asleep during the show. Seriously.Courtney Cox, a former ESPN studio stage manager who worked on "The Decision,"couldn't pinpoint exactly whythe rappermade the trip to Greenwich, but she claimed Westmi sed the most important part of the evening. on "The Decision":I spend the first 15 minutes or so honed in on 'Ye's every move. He seems chill, he's wearing his gla ses indoors, and he's not making sudden moves. I forget he's there until one of the camera operators says, "I think Kanye West fell asleep."At the biggest non-sporting sports event in a while, Kanye West fell asleep before anyone announced anything. He was doing the church/school head nod and everything. Wake up, Mr. West.He would eventually wake up and leave well before "The Decision" ended.Also standing outsidethe Boys and Girls Club: a 13-year-old Donovan Mitchell. Yes, that's All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell."I was outside, so it was cool being there. I wanted him to go to Miami at that point, I wanted him to get a ring," Mitchell said in 2018 ( )."I remember there were a lot of upset people there. There were a lot of Knicks fans, Greenwich being so close to New York and all. But Tarik Cohen Jersey it was definitely cool."Sorry again, Knicks fans.5. Cavs owner Dan Gilbert didn't stop talking after sending out you know, the onein Comic Sans that called out James for his "cowardly betrayal" and "shocking act of disloyalty" because he chose not to re-sign with Cleveland. Super chill.Well, Gilbert kept going and actually got angrier. In a phone interview with , Gilbert said James had gotten a "free pa s" and that it was "accountability time.""People have covered up for James for way too long," Gilbert said."Tonight we saw who he really is."Gilbert added that James "quit" on the Cavs during their 2010 second-round series against the Celtics, which ended James' initial run in Cleveland."Watch the tape," Gilbert said. "The Boston series was unlike anything in the history of sports for a superstar. . . .It's not about him leaving. It's the disrespect. It's time for people to hold these athletes accountable for their actions. Is this the way Allen Robinson Jersey you raise your children? I've been holding this all in for a long time."The letter and those comments created a giant rift between Gilbert and James, but they were able to reconcile years later and maintain at least a somewhat profe sional relationship during James' second stint with the Cavs. Gilbert kept up his end of the bargain by spending extravagantly on roster upgrades, and James delivered on his promise to bring a championship to Cleveland.Oh, and that letter no longer appears on the team website. Good call there, Dan.