Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert is taking a new approach addressing LeBron James' second departure from his organization.
A far cry from the infamous comic sans burn notice he released in 2010 after news broke of the Jame's intension to sign with the Miami Heat, Gilbert's newest letter effusively praises the four-time NBA MVP. The billionaire Quicken Loans founder Gilbert thanks James for leading the Cavaliers to the franchise's first NBA championship in 2016 and his commitment to bettering his home state of Ohio.
News broke Sunday that LeBron has signed a four-year, $154 million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Gilbert began his new letter recalling the '16 Cavaliers championship team.
"Virtually anyone with roots in Northeast Ohio paused and felt the memories of the past and the utter joy that the burden of the so-called ‘curse’ was finally a thing of the past," Gilbert wrote of that title-winning evening, which was Cleveland's first title in any major sport since 1964.
"None of this would have happened if LeBron James did not agree to come back home and lead the Cavaliers to the promised land," Gilbert continued, thanking James for the team's four consecutive NBA Finals appearances since his return.
He added that while James may be changing zip codes, the NBA legend's commitment to bettering Northeast Ohio "will most certainly endure."
The owner concluded that he has "nothing but appreciation and gratitude for everything" James gave to the Cavaliers organization during his time there.
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