Dear LeBron,
Hello. You don't know me. My name is Josiah and I am a fan of yours. I haven't always been into basketball. In fact, when I was young, basketball fell firmly in third place behind football and baseball on my list of favorite sports. When I was a teenager, however, one of my friends, a basketball enthusiast and Cavs fan, got me into watching the sport. A few years later I began to play it every Wednesday and I began to love the game. Ultimately, it was not the Cavs or my friend or even playing basketball that got me into it--it was you. You see, I was born and bred in NE Ohio. I grew up in a rural area between Akron and Canton, but I was actually born in Akron. I remember when you were in high school and the hype was already huge, and then I remember how crazy it was when your hometown team actually drafted you. I started watching basketball primarily because LeBron James was from Ohio. There's just something cool about being able to tell other people that you were born in the same city as LeBron James.
When you left the Cavs, I was sad, but I understood. I gradually became a Heat fan because I wanted you achieve that which the Cavs could never help you achieve--winning a championship. I was perhaps one of few who was happy to see you win two while down in Miami. Nevertheless, when you became a free agent and the rumors began to swirl that you might make a comeback, I got cautiously excited. I will never forget the day that your announcement hit the media. I could stop smiling and telling people--I wasn't even sure why. I wasn't really a huge Cavs fan, but the idea of you being back in town was exciting. The idea that I could see you play 45 minutes away for the hometown team was exciting. The economic impact of your return was exciting.
That was when I really started getting into basketball. I have since watched more basketball games than I had in all the previous years of my life. I had certainly never screamed at a TV in public because of missed calls, but that became a regular occurrence (seriously, they just don't give you the calls). Then you won the championship in '16. That is a moment I'll never forget. That is the first time any of my teams has ever won it all. When you yelled, "This one's for you, Cleveland!" I was yelling, too.
I'm writing all this simply to say that your the GOAT. You won a championship in Cleveland. Even if it had been against a team far inferior to the 73-9 Warriors, that would, in and of itself, have been enough to cement you as the GOAT. You delivered on your promise and we all understand if you move on to the next phase of your life. You deserve to feel free to move on without any sense of guilt. Your debt to your home state has been paid.
But...then again...think about what it would say if you stayed! You talk about family and philanthropy and community--think what staying would mean for all of that! You say that there are more important things in this world than playing basketball, and you're right. Your chance to prove that is before you. Think about the legacy you would leave if you stayed in your hometown despite the obstacles that it might prevent to winning another championship. Think about the hope and the joy that you playing in Wine & Gold brings to your fellow Ohioans! Think about what you mean to this region. You are already unique, and your legacy is irreproachable, but what could be greater than the legacy of retiring from your hometown team?
I'll probably become a fan of whatever team you play for next year. If I'm being honest, I enjoy watching you play the game of basketball more than I enjoy rooting for Cleveland, but there's something unmistakably exciting and powerful about watching that kid from Akron launching through the air for a reverse layup...in the Land. So, if you did decide to stay, I'd be pretty happy, and I think there's a few million other Ohioans who would share that sentiment.
Sincerely,
Josiah Spencer...a kid from NE Ohio
Hello. You don't know me. My name is Josiah and I am a fan of yours. I haven't always been into basketball. In fact, when I was young, basketball fell firmly in third place behind football and baseball on my list of favorite sports. When I was a teenager, however, one of my friends, a basketball enthusiast and Cavs fan, got me into watching the sport. A few years later I began to play it every Wednesday and I began to love the game. Ultimately, it was not the Cavs or my friend or even playing basketball that got me into it--it was you. You see, I was born and bred in NE Ohio. I grew up in a rural area between Akron and Canton, but I was actually born in Akron. I remember when you were in high school and the hype was already huge, and then I remember how crazy it was when your hometown team actually drafted you. I started watching basketball primarily because LeBron James was from Ohio. There's just something cool about being able to tell other people that you were born in the same city as LeBron James.
When you left the Cavs, I was sad, but I understood. I gradually became a Heat fan because I wanted you achieve that which the Cavs could never help you achieve--winning a championship. I was perhaps one of few who was happy to see you win two while down in Miami. Nevertheless, when you became a free agent and the rumors began to swirl that you might make a comeback, I got cautiously excited. I will never forget the day that your announcement hit the media. I could stop smiling and telling people--I wasn't even sure why. I wasn't really a huge Cavs fan, but the idea of you being back in town was exciting. The idea that I could see you play 45 minutes away for the hometown team was exciting. The economic impact of your return was exciting.
That was when I really started getting into basketball. I have since watched more basketball games than I had in all the previous years of my life. I had certainly never screamed at a TV in public because of missed calls, but that became a regular occurrence (seriously, they just don't give you the calls). Then you won the championship in '16. That is a moment I'll never forget. That is the first time any of my teams has ever won it all. When you yelled, "This one's for you, Cleveland!" I was yelling, too.
I'm writing all this simply to say that your the GOAT. You won a championship in Cleveland. Even if it had been against a team far inferior to the 73-9 Warriors, that would, in and of itself, have been enough to cement you as the GOAT. You delivered on your promise and we all understand if you move on to the next phase of your life. You deserve to feel free to move on without any sense of guilt. Your debt to your home state has been paid.
But...then again...think about what it would say if you stayed! You talk about family and philanthropy and community--think what staying would mean for all of that! You say that there are more important things in this world than playing basketball, and you're right. Your chance to prove that is before you. Think about the legacy you would leave if you stayed in your hometown despite the obstacles that it might prevent to winning another championship. Think about the hope and the joy that you playing in Wine & Gold brings to your fellow Ohioans! Think about what you mean to this region. You are already unique, and your legacy is irreproachable, but what could be greater than the legacy of retiring from your hometown team?
I'll probably become a fan of whatever team you play for next year. If I'm being honest, I enjoy watching you play the game of basketball more than I enjoy rooting for Cleveland, but there's something unmistakably exciting and powerful about watching that kid from Akron launching through the air for a reverse layup...in the Land. So, if you did decide to stay, I'd be pretty happy, and I think there's a few million other Ohioans who would share that sentiment.
Sincerely,
Josiah Spencer...a kid from NE Ohio
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