During the NBA Finals last season, LeBron James revealed that he was being driven by “secret motivation” that he would not go into detail about unless the Cleveland Cavaliers won it all. It took them another year, but they finally got it done.
So let’s hear it, LeBron.
After the Cavs beat the Golden State Warriors in Game 7, Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com revealed that LeBron told him his secret motivation came from people who told him he was making a mistake by leaving the Miami Heat to return to Cleveland.
“He told me that, actually, when he left Miami and people who he grew to, he thought to, have trusting relationships with – he said, ‘I’m not going to name names, but someone told me that you’re making the biggest mistake of your career,'” McMenamin said, per Dan Feldman of Pro Basketball Talk. “And he said it really hurt him. Basically, he felt taken for granted. Like, ‘Look, I just gave you four years of my prime, and you’re not going to be comfortable with my decision and root me on? You’re going to make me feel bad going out the door?'”
We know James wasn’t referring to Dwyane Wade, who is one of LeBron’s best friends and supported him all along. As Feldman noted, it wouldn’t be a surprise if LeBron was referring to Heat president Pat Riley.
LeBron obviously made the right choice. He’ll always be viewed as a hero now by the people of Cleveland. His priority was once trying to win more titles than Michael Jordan, but as he got older he realized the best way to cement his legacy would be delivering for the Cavs. Now, LeBron can once again turn his focus to chasing Jordan’s six championships.
