After months of speculation and numerous rumors all throught TV, print, and the internet, LeBron James is an unrestricted free agent and will announce his decision on where he will be playing basketball this upcoming season. Speculation up until about a week ago had him most likely either returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he has spent his first seven seasons and revitalized the franchise, or going to the Chicago Bulls, who have a young nucleus of great talent that is on the verge of being a championship caliber team. But with Chris Bosh signing a new contract with the Miami Heat, along with Dwayne Wade re-signing, speculation has now centered on LeBron joining the Miami Heat as well.

At any rate, LeBron James is dong something unprecedented for a free agent signing. He is having a one-hour special on ESPN to announce his decision on where he will play basketball this upcoming season. The only thing missing besides the hype is some comedian plus musical guest acts like Lady GaGa and Justin Bieber. He is scheduled to make his announcement on ESPN at 8:00 EST tonight.

[Edited 7/8/10 18:29pm]

must see tv right?

I personally think he will go to Miami.. the smart move would be to go to Chicago though. But it also seems like everyone wants him to stay in that dump of Cleveland Ohio.... He'll never win a ring there. Ever..

WILL SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN TO ME WHY HE NEEDS AN HOUR?!

chocolate1 said:

WILL SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN TO ME WHY HE NEEDS AN HOUR?!

Cause he's The Chosen One, KING JAMES

[img:$uid]http://www.quadratix.org/wp-content/gallery/tats/lebron-james-tattoo-001-back-chosen-one-small.jpg[/img:$uid]

chocolate1 said:

WILL SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN TO ME WHY HE NEEDS AN HOUR?!

right?

Mephiles said:

must see tv right?

I personally think he will go to Miami.. the smart move would be to go to Chicago though. But it also seems like everyone wants him to stay in that dump of Cleveland Ohio.... He'll never win a ring there. Ever..

With Shaq going to Atlanta, I don't think LeBron is going back to Cleveland neither.

I was trying to explain to my 14yr old daughter why so many people were paying attention to Lebron, and I concluded that he hasn't found a cure for cancer, he hasn't solved the energy crisis nor global warming....so he's not worth all the attention and money. he's getting paid for bouncing and throwing a ball. perspective.

At his momma's house.

It's official! LeBron is heading to

surprise, surprise.

728huey said:

It's official! LeBron is heading to

Dwayne Wade & LeBron James = The Two-Man Power Trip!

Reaction to LeBron James' announcement.

Miami

Cleveland

New York/New Jersey

Chicago

Well, I listed Chicgao as the least sad, even though LeBron would have fit better there than anywhere else, the Bulls are only a couple of pieces away from being a championship caliber team, now that Derrick Rose is rising into a superstar, Joakim Noah is turning into a strong role player, and now the Bulls have post presence with the signing of Carlos Boozer.

[Edited 7/8/10 18:48pm]

I live in Cleveland, and am sad to see LeBron leaving the Cavaliers. But I am not surprised, since the rumors that he was going to join Miami have been flying around town.

They are going crazy down here. People are in the streets and all over the news.

At work today I told my co-worker if I hear LeBron one more time I would scream!

There's a huge party tomorrow at the arena.

babynoz said:

They are going crazy down here. People are in the streets and all over the news.

At work today I told my co-worker if I hear LeBron one more time I would scream!

There's a huge party tomorrow at the arena.

I believe it! I'm going to miss LeBron.

[Edited 7/8/10 19:28pm]

BlackAdder7 said:

I was trying to explain to my 14yr old daughter why so many people were paying attention to Lebron, and I concluded that he hasn't found a cure for cancer, he hasn't solved the energy crisis nor global warming....so he's not worth all the attention and money. he's getting paid for bouncing and throwing a ball. perspective.

He gets paid for bringing money to his company, just like everyone does. Do you think the scientist that discovers a cure for cancer will get paid loads of money because of their contribution to mankind? Nope, they'll be paid tons of money because a drug company like Pfizer will pay them, mark up the drug and sell it to the masses. I understand people thinking that athletes and entertainers don't do anything important, but who out there really does? And you're right, he's not worth the money, truth be told, no human deserves to make that much money, but it's the way of the world.

SavonOsco said:

Party at the arena?....wow, that's a litte too much dontcha think?

Not if it helps sell season tickets I guess,

psychodelicide said:

babynoz said:

They are going crazy down here. People are in the streets and all over the news.

At work today I told my co-worker if I hear LeBron one more time I would scream!

There's a huge party tomorrow at the arena.

I believe it! I'm going to miss LeBron.

[Edited 7/8/10 19:28pm]

We promise to take good care of him,

I think that he and D. Wade and Bosh had this planned long ago. They want to build a winning dynasty somewhere and they chose Wade County to do it. Pat Riley is coming back too.

th13182 said:

BlackAdder7 said:

I was trying to explain to my 14yr old daughter why so many people were paying attention to Lebron, and I concluded that he hasn't found a cure for cancer, he hasn't solved the energy crisis nor global warming....so he's not worth all the attention and money. he's getting paid for bouncing and throwing a ball. perspective.

He gets paid for bringing money to his company, just like everyone does. Do you think the scientist that discovers a cure for cancer will get paid loads of money because of their contribution to mankind? Nope, they'll be paid tons of money because a drug company like Pfizer will pay them, mark up the drug and sell it to the masses. I understand people thinking that athletes and entertainers don't do anything important, but who out there really does? And you're right, he's not worth the money, truth be told, no human deserves to make that much money, but it's the way of the world.

Also if all these CEO's of banks can get ridiculous salaries for attending a few

meetings and flying all over the country in expensive ass jets, i don't have a problem

with Lebron James who actually plays 82 games a year not including playoff series

making tons of money too. He actually earns it.

There was a catch of course:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=txlebronsdecision

Olympic teammates four years ago in Beijing, James, Bosh and Wade all helped deliver gold medals while playing for the U.S.

This time, the superstars will pursue another gold prize - an NBA trophy - the one Wade got in 2006, the one that James and Bosh have yet to touch.

“Winning is a huge thing for me,” said James, who left more than $30 million on the table by not signing with Cleveland.

It’s a huge victory for the Heat, which got Wade and Bosh, a five-time All-Star with the Toronto Raptors, to agree to take less money on Wednesday so James could join them. Heat president Pat Riley was able to corral the top three stars in an unprecedented free-agent class.

728huey said:

Reaction to LeBron James' announcement.

Miami

Cleveland

New York/New Jersey

Chicago

Well, I listed Chicgao as the least sad, even though LeBron would have fit better there than anywhere else, the Bulls are only a couple of pieces away from being a championship caliber team, now that Derrick Rose is rising into a superstar, Joakim Noah is turning into a strong role player, and now the Bulls have post presence with the signing of Carlos Boozer.

that's good.

I don't think many in Chi-Town thought there was much of a chance Mr. James would come to Bulls for three reasons: 1) The statue out front of the United Center. 2) Six NBA Championship banners up in the rafters at the United Center. Though Amare Stoudemire signed with the NY Knicks, they seem light years away from winning anything still, the pieces aren't nearly all there.

Third major reason: LeBron James is a small market team player, he doesn't have the brawn, the backbone, nor mental prowess to carry a team. Let's tell the truth and shame the devil. Large market teams such as Chicago and New York where he be "da man" . . . thats not who his is, he knows it, and he knows he couldn't handle it. Give him credit for knowing his strengths and realizing his weakness There's nothing wrong with being a team player either, just don't go around giving yourself grandiose names as "King".... he's "a rook". Lebron James is not a King nor will he ever will be.

[Edited 7/9/10 1:14am]

babynoz said:

psychodelicide said:

I believe it! I'm going to miss LeBron.

[Edited 7/8/10 19:28pm]

We promise to take good care of him,

I think that he and D. Wade and Bosh had this planned long ago. They want to build a winning dynasty somewhere and they chose Wade County to do it. Pat Riley is coming back too.

I got the impression from LeBron's interview on BET tonight that he, Wade and Bosh had this planned out too.

BlackAdder7 said:

I was trying to explain to my 14yr old daughter why so many people were paying attention to Lebron, and I concluded that he hasn't found a cure for cancer, he hasn't solved the energy crisis nor global warming....so he's not worth all the attention and money. he's getting paid for bouncing and throwing a ball. perspective.

I think LBJ made his decision once D-Wade & Chris Bosh signed with the Heat, so I thought he'd either re-sign with the Cavs and they'd bring in some other top free agents or he'd go to the Heat. Maybe if Bosh or Wade went to the Bulls, Nets or Knicks, LeBron would have went to one of those teams instead. I think the Heat with Pat Riley returning to coach them and the addition of the new big 3 (plus I'm guessing they'll pick up some older free agents too - like for example maybe Shaq, and AI who wants to go back to the NBA) Miami should easily reach the Playoffs and maybe win the NBA Championship.

chocolate1 said:

BlackAdder7 said:

I was trying to explain to my 14yr old daughter why so many people were paying attention to Lebron, and I concluded that he hasn't found a cure for cancer, he hasn't solved the energy crisis nor global warming....so he's not worth all the attention and money. he's getting paid for bouncing and throwing a ball. perspective.

NBA is a billion dollar cooperation/industry, if it wasn't viable it wouldn't exist. If it didn't generate that amount of income they wouldn't be able to pay Mr. James, Mr. Wade or any of these other major talents, free agents are not, hundreds of millions of dollars. The league hasn't always been able to do so, they you can thank Michael Jordan for that. Perspective, it's called the free market system and having a union helps.

TD3 said:

NBA is a billion dollar cooperation/industry, if it wasn't viable it wouldn't exist. If it didn't generate that amount of income they wouldn't be able to pay Mr. James, Mr. Wade or any of these other major talents, free agents are not, hundreds of millions of dollars. The league hasn't always been able to do so, they you can thank Michael Jordan for that. Perspective, it's called the free market system and having a union helps.

Pro athletes are entertainers, no different than rockstars or actors, and should be paid as such. They generate tons of revenue, have a skill 99% of us don't have and put tremendous wear and tear on their bodies. Like you said, free market system.