Being the savior of a sports franchise is daunting enough. Being the savior of an entire region - the area where you grew up, no less - well, that's a burden that would buckle the knees of pretty much any athlete.
Any athlete, that is, except LeBron James.
The gigantic new banner outside the arena, the chills-inducing commercial Nike rolled out, the celebrities and fans who flocked to Cleveland on Thursday as if it was Game 7 of the NBA finals, the electricity that could have powered all of northeast Ohio - this is exactly what James envisioned when he decided to return.
His homecoming is a mission, as much personal as it is professional.
'The roads, the buildings, the people,' James told USA TODAY Sports' Jeff Zillgitt on the eve of his return. 'They helped raised me.'
Every athlete has a story of a community that helped him or her along the way, and every city has a favored athlete it considers one of its own. For James and northeast Ohio, however, it's one in the same, the two as tightly intertwined as family.
The people of Akron and Cleveland have been in the bleachers since James was not much older than his own sons are now, watching with pride as he grew and developed the skills that have made him one of the greatest players of all time. In return, they gave shelter and support to the boy with the young, single mother, making sure he never went astray and, as the spotlight grew, protecting him from those who didn't have his best interests at heart.
'This city saved me from making the wrong turn,' James said. 'It gave me sports and it gave me mentors.'
James has been generous in his gratitude, his devotion a rarity for such a big star. He made a promise when he left high school to never forget where he came from and, even when he was in Miami, he has made sure those were not empty words.
His LeBron James Family Foundation runs hands-on programs to keep at-risk Akron kids stay in school. James is closely involved, leaving occasional voice messages for the kids and writing friendly notes each week - signed, 'Your friend, Mr. LeBron.' -- that include a subtle life lesson.
He paid to renovate the gym at his old high school, St. Vincent-St. Mary, and has donated new uniforms for the sports teams. He has helped restore the clubhouses at Boys & Girls Clubs, including ones in Akron and Cleveland.
And even when he played in Miami, his family's home remained outside of Akron.
But for all the quiet good he's done, James' decision to return to Cleveland has sent the loudest message.
As one of the world's best athletes and most famous people, he and his family could live anywhere. Yet he chose northeast Ohio. That seal of approval is a psychological boost as well as an economic one for a region still struggling to get back on its feet, and James is well aware of it.
Kendrick Lamar and Imagine Dragons don't do concerts outside Quicken Loans Arena if not for James. Justin Bieber and David Beckham don't find their way to Cleveland if not for James. Check that -- could they even find Cleveland without James? The attention of pretty much every sports fan in the country isn't on Cleveland if not for James.
No wonder he appeared overcome by emotion when he was introduced, tipping back his head at the words, 'From St. Vincent-St. Mary, Akron, Ohio,' as the arena erupted.
'My relationship with Northeast Ohio is bigger than basketball,' James wrote in his Sports Illustrated essay this summer announcing he was going back home after four years in Miami. 'I didn't realize that four years ago. I do now.'
That he struggled in his first game back home -- he was just 5 of 15, with eight turnovers, in a 95-90 loss to the New York Knicks -- is merely a blip. Sure, James desperately wants to end Cleveland's 50-year drought in major sports championships, and his presence alone is enough to elevate the Cavaliers to contenders in the East.
But the greater aim, the theme that runs through every interview and every commercial, is that, together, he and his city can do something extraordinary.
Because this isn't just about basketball.
It's personal. WATCH: LeBron on first game back - 'That was amazing'
Post By http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/cavaliers/2014/10/30/lebron-james-cleveland-cavaliers-homecoming-opener/18202775/
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