A fan in the left field bleachers at Progressive Field thought it was a good idea to wear a brand new LeBron James Miami Heat jersey.Too soon, dude. Hundreds of fans sitting near the poor sap jeered him out of his seat in the left field bleachers, causing quite the stir during the sixth inning of the Yankees-Indians game on Wednesday night.

Eventually, the man took his talents outside of the stadium gates in left field, all at the behest of stadium security. But before he made it out, the mob of Clevelanders, with everything but torches and pitchforks, followed him all the way to the exit. They shouted obscenities and threw debris at the man and his sparkling new James jersey.

Read the complete story

It seemed like an interesting idea: Have the biggest of all free agents – LeBron James(notes)  – announce the decision on where he’ll next sign on national television. But there was something in the way it went down that didn’t work out for James.

Is it possible that James, who had built a marketing empire over seven years, took a hit with the public way of announcing that he was going to the Miami Heat?

While many online polls suggest that is the case, a new poll released to CNBC by the reveals that damage to James’ reputation is actually minimal.

The shots taken at James, both by the media and fans, were based on how secret the decision became and the platform he used to reveal it.

Was it really possible that LeBron didn’t tell his soon-to-be-former team what his decision was before he uttered it on ESPN? That he would diss the Cavaliers faithful in front of a live television audience?

Read the complete story

When last we heard from Dan Gilbert, the fire-breathing owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers, he was having his wallet lightened by NBA commissioner David Stern for an incendiary letter to Cavs fans after LeBron James announced he was leaving for Miami.

In that letter, Gilbert referred to James’ decision as “narcissistic” and “cowardly.” Then the furious Gilbert went further. Fathead LLC, owned by Gilbert, began offering its stock of LeBron James wall graphics for $17.41, down from $99.99. The discount price signified 1741, the year that Benedict Arnold, one of the nation’s most infamous traitors, was born. More than 1,000 “Slam Dunk” James graphics were sold at the discount price.

Read the complete story

LeBron James turning "The Decision" into a media spectacle was really a not-so-unfamiliar sight to college basketball observers. After all, by now we're immune to watching high school kids stroke their own egos and drum up their own level of excitement by holding press conferences announcing their college commitments. For a pro to do something similar was almost like witnessing evolution.

Terrence Jones, Kentucky's incoming freshman sensation, is somewhat of a pioneer when it comes to these kinds of press conferences -- if only in the sense that in front of a packed gym and thousands of Internet viewers he put on a Washington ballcap and ultimately signed with another school. (Even Cleveland wasn't put through anything like that.)

Read the complete story

Anyone not living under a rock has probably heard about LeBron James's decision to team up with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh on the Miami Heat. The decision broke the hearts of everyone in the city of Cleveland  and greatly disappointed fans in Chicago and New York City.

Knicks fans got their first chance to express their anger toward James when he arrived for Carmelo Anthony's wedding. Fox Sports reported that, "James was greeted by a round of loud boos from angry New Yorkers outside the wedding in Cipriani 42nd Street when he arrived with his girlfriend Savannah Brinson." That will be the first round of many boos James will likely face in the future. At least Anthony's wedding wasn't in Cleveland, where King James's mural has been dismantled and his welcome has been completely worn out.

LeBron James had finally decided to leave Cleveland Cavaliars and play for the Miami Heat. Many fans will surely miss number 23 jersey which LeBron is wearing since he will be getting a new number when the 2011 NBA Season starts.Ira Winderman of the South Florida Times Sentinel revealed that Jame’s number of choice is number 6 which belong to Mario Chalmers. Chalmers will be switching to number 15 to give way to LeBron James, 15 was also the original number of choice by Chalmers.

Miami Heat number 15 originally belongs to Eddie Jones but it was never retired. James will never get number 23 because 23 originally belongs to Michael Jordan and since he considers himself a rising star he wants to have his own number that will be remembered in the book of NBA legends. Meanwhile, LeBron’s new team mate Chris Bosh will not be wearing his dream double zero, instead he will wear the number 1 in Miami. Number 1 is the former jersey of outgoing player Dorell Wright.

The NBA basketball superstar gave his decision live on television to millions watching around the world. The 25-year-old small forward was an unrestricted free agent after his contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers expired and the two-time MVP is set to join fellow NBA All Stars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami.

The decision, aired live on ESPN in America and the UK, ends months of speculation about where James would play when he became a free agent. He visited six teams before making his decision – the Heat, Cavaliers, New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Clippers.

Read the complete story

When he reveals the next chapter in his celebrated pro basketball career on national television Thursday, LeBron James will finally end the frenzied pop culture speculation that set Twitter, the national media and sports news networks ablaze for the last several weeks. .

But the superstar free agent's unusual announcement arrangement with ESPN — complete with a glitzy one-hour prime-time special that promises to devote the advertising proceeds to charity — is already raising eyebrows for its infomercial-like feel and its apparent creation of a new standard for a star breaking his or her own news.

Read the complete story

I'm not much into omens, but the events surrendering Dwyane Wade's return to Miami on Monday were curious to say the least, if not an indication of things to come. With Wade entertaining thoughts of jumping to the Bulls, the Miami Heat wanted to show its star player how much he's loved in South Florida. So when the team learned Wade would be arriving.

At Miami International Airport early Monday morning, it used Facebook and Twitter to quickly organize a crowd to welcome him home. About 50 fans and a number of Heat employees were in position at the charter-jet terminal at the time of Wade's arrival. Just one problem: Wade flew commercial and arrived at the other end of the airport.

''He'll hear that we were here,'' 20-year-old fan David Figueroa told the Associated Press. ''That's enough, right?'' Maybe. Later in the day, Wade was seen entering American Airlines Arena with Heat owner Micky Arison, who, no doubt, made a pitch for keeping his star player in Miami.

Read the complete story

Judging from his first comments in New York, Amar'e Stoudemire thinks along the same lines as Knick fans who are busy wondering why the team isn't making progress on a sign-and-trade for.

LeBron James. Or why Donnie Walsh isn't calling the Thunder to ask about Kevin Durant's availability. Or why Walsh hasn't made a move in the last two years for Dwight Howard.

Around here, everybody dreams big. With the emphasis on "dream." So when Stoudemire talked about playing at the Garden alongside Tony Parker and Carmelo Anthony.

Read the complete story