LeBron James made a surprise appearance at the Chris Chambers City League Classic over the weekend, which takes place in Warrensville Heights, Ohio. It’s not exactly Cleveland, but being less than 20 miles away, it’s not far from there, either. So it might come as a bit of a surprise that the crowd received him with seemingly nothing but cheers at the event.
But really, it shouldn’t.
If you’re one of the lucky few in attendance at a small summer league game, and one of the best players in the world walks in and laces ‘em up unexpectedly to put on a show, there’s not going to be any animosity, no matter how coldly he left your beloved Cavaliers in free agency. It’s summertime, and the livin’s easy. You’re simply thrilled that you got to be that close to watch a star of LeBron’s stature perform, and you’re going to tell all your friends how awesome it was.
Nothing is going to change, of course, the next time James comes to Cleveland to play an NBA game as a member of the Miami Heat. The boos will rain down from the fans at the Q as loudly as ever, and as they rightfully should. But let’s not pretend that a summer league appearance like this one would (or should) result in the same kind of negative reaction.
Some highlights of LeBron’s performance, as well as some commentary from King James himself afterward, can be seen in the video clip below (via Dime).