The Decision (TV program)

James was born and raised in Akron, Ohio, where he received national attention as a high school basketball star at St. Vincent–St. Mary High School.{{cite news|last=Windhorst|first=Brian|date=February 23, 2012|title=Decade later, LBJ-Melo still goin' strong|url=https://www.espn.com/nba/truehoop/miamiheat/story/_/id/7605201/lebron-james-vs-carmelo-anthony-10-years-ago|work=ESPN.com|access-date=May 30, 2012}} He was drafted out of high school by his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers with the first overall pick of the 2003 NBA draft. He played the first seven seasons of his professional career in Cleveland, where he was a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player and a six-time NBA All-Star, yet won no NBA championships and only made it to the finals once, where the Cavaliers were shut out (2007). James became an unrestricted free-agent at 12:01 am EDT (UTC−4) on July 1, 2010.{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/nba/news/story?page=FreeAgency-100630|title=Q&A: Where will top free agents land?|publisher=ESPN|date=June 30, 2010|access-date=October 30, 2010}} He was courted for recruitment by several teams, including the New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, New Jersey Nets, Miami Heat, Los Angeles Clippers, and the Cavaliers.{{cite web|url=http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/lebron-james-says-he-will-join-miami-heat-070810|title=LeBron says he'll sign with Miami Heat|publisher=Msn.foxsports.com|date=August 9, 2010|access-date=October 30, 2010}}

The idea for the show originally came from Bill Simmons's mailbag column in November 2009 on ESPN, which published reader Drew Wagner's question, "What if LeBron announces he will pick his 2010–11 team live on ABC on a certain date for a show called 'LeBron's Choice?'"{{cite news|first=Dan Jr.|last=Van Natta|title=ESPN show confirms The Decision was fan's idea, not LeBron James'|date=June 28, 2020|website=ESPN.com|url=https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29375906/espn-show-confirms-decision-was-fan-idea-not-lebron-james|access-date=October 9, 2020}} Wagner's idea was inspired by the trend of high school seniors being recruited announcing their college choice in a news conference. During NBA All-Star Weekend in 2010, Simmons pitched the idea to James's business partner, Maverick Carter; James's then-agent, Leon Rose; and James's advisor, William Wesley.{{cite news|first=Anthony|last=Chiang|title=ESPN docuseries reveals new details from LeBron James' 'The Decision' 10 years later|date=June 24, 2020|newspaper=Miami Herald|url=https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/nba/miami-heat/article243755147.html|access-date=October 9, 2020}} After James and the Cavaliers lost to the Boston Celtics in the NBA playoffs in May, Simmons thought there was no way for the idea to proceed, and he was no longer involved.

During halftime of Game 2 of the NBA Finals in Los Angeles, Carter ran into freelance sportscaster Jim Gray and media agent Ari Emanuel, when Gray pitched the announcement show to Carter and Emanuel. Carter convinced James to do the show, and Emanuel pitched the idea to then-ESPN president John Skipper. Gray's idea was for an hour-long show in which James would announce his decision. Gray once worked for ESPN, and James' management team insisted that he be involved in the interview. ESPN gave away the airtime as barter syndication, allowing James' team to sell ads in exchange for the news story. NBA commissioner David Stern, believing that ESPN was giving too much control to James, tried to get the event cancelled.{{cite news|first=Chris|last=Fedor|title=LeBron James, 'The Decision' and a decade of hindsight: ESPN docuseries reveals new details on LeBron's legacy-impacting night|date=June 24, 2020|website=Cleveland.com|url=https://www.cleveland.com/cavs/2020/06/lebron-james-the-decision-and-a-decade-of-hindsight-espn-docuseries-reveals-new-details-on-lebrons-legacy-impacting-night.html|access-date=October 9, 2020}}

Before the special aired, Chris Broussard, who was one of the show's presenters, reported that James would join the Heat based on statements he had heard from multiple sources.{{Cite web |date=2010-07-21 |title=The 'Decision' dilemma |url=https://www.espn.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=ohlmeyer_don&id=5397113 |access-date=2022-05-29 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}}

On July 8, 2010, ESPN aired a live special named The Decision that ran 75 minutes with commercials. At 9:28 p.m EDT, James announced that he would play with Miami in the 2010–11 season, teaming with the Heat's other All-Star free agent signees Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh (who had joined from the Toronto Raptors).{{cite news|title=LeBron James makes his pick: He's going to Miami|url=http://www.nba.com/2010/news/07/08/lebron.decision/index.html|date=July 9, 2010|agency=Associated Press|website=NBA.com|publisher=NBA Media Ventures, LLC|access-date=July 9, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120514130106/http://www.nba.com/2010/news/07/08/lebron.decision/index.html|archive-date=May 14, 2012}}

{{blockquote|In this fall... this is very tough... in this fall I'm going to take my talents to South Beach and join the Miami Heat. I feel like it's going to give me the best opportunity to win and to win for multiple years, and not only just to win in the regular season or just to win five games in a row or three games in a row, I want to be able to win championships. And I feel like I can compete down there.{{cite news|url=http://www.palmbeachpost.com/sports/heat/the-king-of-south-beach-lebron-james-will-791556.html|title=The King of South Beach: LeBron James will Sign with Miami Heat|first=Tom|last=D'Angelo|newspaper=The Palm Beach Post|date=8 July 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100711125225/http://www.palmbeachpost.com/sports/heat/the-king-of-south-beach-lebron-james-will-791556.html|archive-date=July 11, 2010}}{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/17853/lebron-james-decision-the-transcript|title=LeBron James' decision: the transcript| first=Henry| last=Abbot| publisher=ESPN| date=July 8, 2010|access-date=October 16, 2010}}|LeBron James}}The announcement, made nearly 30 minutes into the program, was part of a conversation between James and Gray. Broadcast from the Boys and Girls Club of Greenwich, Connecticut, the show raised $2.5 million for the charity.{{cite news|url=http://www.cleveland.com/ohio-sports-blog/index.ssf/2010/07/lebron_james_decision_generate.html|date=July 12, 2010|newspaper=The Plain Dealer|title=LeBron James' 'Decision' generated $6 million in ad revenue|access-date=June 10, 2012}} The show raised an additional $3.5 million from advertisement revenue which was donated to other various charities.

Wade had informed Heat president Pat Riley that James wanted to become less of a scorer and more of a distributor, and James looked forward to no longer carrying the offense night after night as he did playing with Cleveland.{{cite news|last=Thomsen|first=Ian|title=The Plot Starts Here ... Showtime Starts Here|date=July 19, 2010|magazine=Sports Illustrated|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1172070/2/index.htm|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130102071142/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1172070/2/index.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 2, 2013| access-date=January 23, 2011|quote=One advantage of Riley's intelligence gathering was his understanding—as relayed to him by Wade—that James wanted to become less of a scorer and more of a distributor, and that he looked forward to no longer carrying the offense night after night.}} Riley sold to James that "LeBron would be Magic Johnson, Dwyane Wade would be Kobe Bryant, Chris would be Kevin Garnett". Relieved of the burden of scoring, James thought he could be the first player to average a triple-double in a season since Oscar Robertson.{{cite news|last=Jackson|first=Barry|title=Miami Heat's Pat Riley, Erik Spoelstra react to signings|date=July 10, 2010|newspaper=The Miami Herald| url=http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/07/10/1724042/riley-spoelstra-react-to-signings.html| access-date=January 23, 2011|quote=He said he told James that, ``LeBron would be Magic Johnson, Dwyane Wade would be Kobe Bryant, Chris would be Kevin Garnett.}}{{dead link|date=March 2012}}

The Cavaliers were informed of James' decision minutes before the show began.{{cite web|url=https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=aw-heatfreeagency071610|title=Inside look at LeBron's free-agent coup|first=Adrian|last=Wojnarowski|author-link=Adrian Wojnarowski|date=July 16, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100920024036/http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=aw-heatfreeagency071610|archive-date=September 20, 2010|access-date=November 9, 2010|quote=... the issue of James’ immaturity and downright disrespectfulness had become a consuming topic on the march to the Olympics|url-status=dead}}

Among those in attendance for James' decision were Kanye West and a then 13-year-old Donovan Mitchell.{{cite web |last1=Base |first1=Secret |title="The Decision" deserves a deep remind |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xc7ppHftL_A&t&ab_channel=SecretBase |website=YouTube |date=June 30, 2018 |publisher=Secret Base |access-date=3 August 2023}}

The television program drew high ratings, with Nielsen announcing that an average of 9.948 million people watched the show in the United States, with 13.1 million watching at the time of James' announcement. Cleveland topped all markets with a 26.0 Nielsen rating and 39 share.{{cite web|title=Nearly 10 Million U.S. Viewers Watch LeBron's 'Decision'|date=July 12, 2010|work=nielsen.com|publisher=The Nielsen Company|url=http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/media_entertainment/nearly-10-million-u-s-viewers-watch-lebrons-decision/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120913144841/http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/media_entertainment/nearly-10-million-u-s-viewers-watch-lebrons-decision/|archive-date=September 13, 2012|url-status=dead|access-date=June 28, 2012}} The show's Nielsen ratings were 6.1 in households, and 4.1 in 18–49, making it the most watched cable show of the night.{{cite web|last=Gorman|first=Bill|title=Thursday Cable Ratings: All LeBron, All The Time; Plus Bethenny Up, Futurama Settles & More|url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2010/07/12/thursday-cable-ratings-all-lebron-all-the-time-plus-bethenny-up-futurama-settles-more/56848/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110909142226/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2010/07/12/thursday-cable-ratings-all-lebron-all-the-time-plus-bethenny-up-futurama-settles-more/56848/|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 9, 2011|work=TVByTheNumbers|access-date=October 25, 2012}}

The show drew criticism for the prolonged wait until James' actual announcement, which was mostly filled in with panel discussions.{{Cite web |last=Norman |first=Justin |title=LeBron James and ESPN Should Be Ashamed by "The Decision" Coverage |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/417543-lebron-james-and-espn-should-be-ashamed-by-the-decision-coverage |access-date=2022-05-29 |website=Bleacher Report |language=en}} (In a call with media critics the day before the special aired, ESPN said the decision would occur in the first 10 to 15 minutes of the program.){{Cite news |last=Sandomir |first=Richard |date=2010-07-09 |title=ESPN Gets Choice, Not Interview, Right |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/09/sports/basketball/09sandomir.html |access-date=2022-05-29 |issn=0362-4331}} Along with the spectacle of the show itself,{{cite news|url=http://aol.sportingnews.com/nba/story/2010-07-09/james-decision-draws-big-ratings-for-espn| title=Was LeBron special ESPN's deal with devil?|first=David|last=Bauder|work=sportingnews.com|agency=Associated Press|date=July 10, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140513131905/http://www.sportingnews.com/nba/story/2010-07-09/james-decision-draws-big-ratings-for-espn| archive-date=May 13, 2014|url-status=live}} the phrase "taking my talents to South Beach" became a punch line for critics.{{cite news|last=Wetzel|first=Dan|title=LeBron's decisive backlash tops all stories|date=December 21, 2010|publisher=Yahoo! Sports|url=https://sports.yahoo.com/top/news?slug=dw-storyoftheyear122110|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111207072905/http://sports.yahoo.com/top/news?slug=dw-storyoftheyear122110|archive-date=December 7, 2011|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last=Kerasotis|first=Peter|title=For Miami Heat, High Hopes but Lower Volume|date=December 25, 2011|page=SP8|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/25/sports/basketball/for-miami-heat-high-hopes-but-lower-volume.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all|access-date=June 27, 2012}}

In Cleveland, fans considered James' departure a betrayal that ranks second to The Move (Art Modell's relocation of the Cleveland Browns to Baltimore).{{cite news|url=http://sports.nationalpost.com/2010/07/09/cleveland-plain-dealers-final-word-on-lebron-james|title=Cleveland Plain Dealer's final word on LeBron James|work=National Post|location=Canada|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120714032424/http://sports.nationalpost.com/2010/07/09/cleveland-plain-dealers-final-word-on-lebron-james/|archive-date=July 14, 2012|url-status=live|date=November 9, 2010}} Associated Press wrote that The Decision joined The Move, The Drive, The Shot, and The Fumble in "Cleveland's sports hall of shame". Cleveland Cavaliers majority owner Dan Gilbert wrote an open letter to fans published in Comic Sans typeface on the Cavs website, denouncing James' decision as a "selfish", "heartless", "callous", and "cowardly betrayal", while declaring that the Cavs would win an NBA title before the "self-declared former King".{{cite press release|title=Open Letter to Fans from Cavaliers Majority Owner Dan Gilbert|url=http://www.nba.com/cavaliers/news/gilbert_letter_100708.html|publisher=NBA Media Ventures, LLC|website=Cavs.com|date=July 8, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100710014850/http://www.nba.com/cavaliers/news/gilbert_letter_100708.html|archive-date=July 10, 2010|url-status=dead|access-date=November 9, 2010}}{{cite news|last=Sutter|first=John D.|title=Cavs owner's letter mocked for Comic Sans font|date=July 9, 2010|work=CNN.com|url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/web/07/09/comic.sans.cavs.james/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150210051841/http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/web/07/09/comic.sans.cavs.james/|archive-date=February 10, 2015|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last=Howard|first=Johnette|title=Silver, Dolan both dropped ball|date=February 9, 2015|work=ESPN.com|url=https://www.espn.com/new-york/nba/story/_/id/12302718/adam-silver-james-dolan-dropped-ball|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150210064707/http://espn.go.com/new-york/nba/story/_/id/12302718/adam-silver-james-dolan-dropped-ball|archive-date=February 10, 2015|url-status=live}} (This proved incorrect as James' Heat would win the championship in 2012, while the Cavaliers would not do so until 2016, and with James back on the roster). Gilbert's sports-memorabilia company Fathead also lowered the price of wall graphics depicting James from $99.99 to $17.41, the birth year of Benedict Arnold.{{cite news| url=http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2010/07/lebron-james-fathead-dan-gilbert-benedict-arnold/1| title=Fathead suggests LeBron is the new Benedict Arnold| work=USA Today| date=July 8, 2010}}

William Rhoden of The New York Times defended James by stating that Gilbert's "venomous, face-saving personal attack", along with the ensuing "wrath of jersey-burning fans", only validated James' decision to leave Cleveland.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/10/sports/basketball/10rhoden.html|title=Cleveland's Venom Validates James's Exit|first=William|last=Rhoden|author-link=William Rhoden|work=The New York Times|date=July 9, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150610224544/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/10/sports/basketball/10rhoden.html?_r=1|archive-date=June 10, 2015|access-date=November 9, 2010|url-status=dead}} Jesse Jackson, an American civil rights activist, said Gilbert's feelings "personify a slave master mentality", and he was treating James as "a runaway slave".{{cite web|last=Jackson|first=Jesse|author-link=Jesse Jackson|url=http://www.rainbowpush.org/news/single/rev._jesse_l._jackson_sr._reacts_to_dan_gilberts_open_letter|title=Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr. Reacts to Dan Gilbert's Open Letter|publisher=Rainbow PUSH Coalition|date=July 11, 2010| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100819073154/http://www.rainbowpush.org/news/single/rev._jesse_l._jackson_sr._reacts_to_dan_gilberts_open_letter|archive-date=August 19, 2010|url-status=dead|access-date=November 9, 2010|quote=His feelings of betrayal personify a slave master mentality. He sees LeBron as a runaway slave.}} Jackson added, "This is an owner employee relationship between business partners and LeBron honored his contract.{{Cite journal|last1=Agyemang|first1=Kwame J. A.|last2=Singer|first2=John N.|date=2013-03-12|title=Race in the Present Day: NBA Employees Sound Off on Race and Racism|journal=Journal of African American Studies|volume=18|issue=1|pages=11–32|doi=10.1007/s12111-013-9249-2|s2cid=144671951|issn=1559-1646}} J. A. Adande of ESPN said, however, that James chose to promote the drama of his decision in an hour-long television special instead of showing "common courtesy" to notify Cleveland and other teams of his plans.{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=adande_ja&page=jalebron-100709|title=Gilbert's letter signals wider backlash|first=J. A.|last=Adande| date=July 11, 2010 |publisher=ESPN|access-date=July 13, 2010}} On July 12, 2010, Stern fined Gilbert $100,000 for the letter's contents, while also criticizing the way James handled free agency.{{cite magazine|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/basketball/nba/07/12/stern.lebron.ap/index.html |title=Stern not a fan of 'The Decision' |via=Associated Press |magazine=Sports Illustrated |date=July 12, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100716194656/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/basketball/nba/07/12/stern.lebron.ap/index.html |archive-date=July 16, 2010}} On July 14, James told J. R. Moehringer for a GQ article that there was "nothing at all" he would change about his conduct during free agency.{{cite news|last=Moehringer|first=J.R.|author-link=J.R. Moehringer|title=Into the Funhouse with King James|date=September 2010|magazine=GQ|url=https://www.gq.com/sports/profiles/201009/lebron-james-september-gq-miami-heat-summer-lebronathon|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101225042452/http://www.gq.com/sports/profiles/201009/lebron-james-september-gq-miami-heat-summer-lebronathon|archive-date=December 25, 2010|url-status=live| access-date=November 9, 2010|quote=During that postmortem interview, when Moehringer asked James what he'd change if he had a do-over, James replied, 'Nothing at all.'}}

Former NBA players criticized his decision to not stay with Cleveland and continuing to try to win a championship as "the guy".{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/10/sports/basketball/10heat.html?_r=1|title=Criticism Grows as James Arrives in Miami|author=Jonathan Abrams|author2=Catherine Shipp|newspaper=The New York Times|date=July 10, 2010|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120915082254/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/10/sports/basketball/10heat.html?_r=2|archive-date=September 15, 2012|access-date=November 9, 2010|url-status=dead}} Michael Jordan stated that he would not have contacted his rivals from other teams like Magic Johnson and Larry Bird to play on one team together, as "I wanted to defeat those guys". Jordan added that "things are different [now]. I can't say that's a bad thing. It's an opportunity these kids have today".{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/nba/news/story?id=5391478|title=Jordan wouldn't have called Magic, Bird|publisher=ESPN|date=July 19, 2010|access-date=July 19, 2010}} Johnson echoed Jordan's sentiments on teaming with rivals.{{cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-07-20/magic-johnson-criticizes-lebron-james-says-he-wouldn-t-have-joined-bird.html| last=Rothbard|first=Barry|title=Magic Johnson Says He Wouldn't Have Joined Bird After LeBron James's Move|agency=Bloomberg|date=July 20, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100723102747/http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-07-20/magic-johnson-criticizes-lebron-james-says-he-wouldn-t-have-joined-bird.html| archive-date=July 23, 2010|url-status=live|access-date=November 9, 2010|quote=From college, I was trying to figure out how to beat Larry Bird.}}

On September 29, 2010, when asked by Soledad O'Brien of CNN if race was a factor in the fallout from The Decision, James said, "I think so, at times. There's always – you know, a race factor".{{cite news|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2010/SPORT/09/30/lebron.james.race/index.html|title=LeBron James says race a factor in reaction to Miami Heat announcement|publisher=CNN|date=September 30, 2010|access-date=October 13, 2010|quote=Basketball star LeBron James suggested in an interview that aired Wednesday on CNN that race may have played a role in some of the negative reaction to his announcement that he would leave the Cleveland Cavaliers and join the Miami Heat.}} James had previously stayed clear of racial issues.{{cite news|last=Adande|first=J. A.|author-link=J. A. Adande|url=https://www.espn.com/nba/trainingcamp10/columns/story?columnist=adande_ja&page=LeBronRace-101001|title=LeBron James, race and the NBA|publisher=ESPN|date=October 1, 2010|access-date=October 13, 2010|quote=James managed to navigate the first seven years of his career without running into any racial reefs.}}{{cite news|last=Freeman|first=Mike|author-link=Mike Freeman (columnist)|url=http://www.cbssports.com/nba/story/14047127/lambasted-lebron-conveniently-sees-hurtful-role-of-race| title=Lambasted LeBron conveniently sees hurtful role of race|work=CBS Sports|date=September 30, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101002033658/http://www.cbssports.com/nba/story/14047127/lambasted-lebron-conveniently-sees-hurtful-role-of-race| archive-date=October 2, 2010|url-status=dead|access-date=November 9, 2010|quote=He has catered to corporate America, mostly ignored issues that affect people of color, and then when so many people turned on James, he's now suddenly seeing the racial light.}} When an earlier racial controversy over his cover on Vogue became a national debate, James had no comment. Two African American sports columnists criticized James for injecting race into the issue—Mike Freeman of CBSSports.com said James suddenly bringing up race in this instance was "laughable", and Jason Whitlock of Foxsports.com said James' usage of the race card was "an excuse to avoid dealing with his own bad Decision".{{cite news|last=Whitlock|first=Jason|author-link=Jason Whitlock|url=http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/LeBron-James-should-put-away-the-race-card-and-just-apologize-093010|title=Point the finger at yourself, LeBron|work=Fox Sports|date=September 30, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101013034731/http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/LeBron-James-should-put-away-the-race-card-and-just-apologize-093010|archive-date=October 13, 2010|url-status=live|access-date=November 9, 2010|quote=LeBron's enablers are providing him the racial cocoon of denial. They're giving LeBron an excuse to avoid dealing with his own bad Decision.}} Adande, also African American, had a different view, saying James "didn't claim to be a victim of racial persecution" and "caused us to examine the bias that's always lurking".

File:LeBronJamesMiamiHeat2010.jpg appearances and won two NBA championships with the Miami Heat.]]

Although other NBA superteams existed before 2010, the Heat with James was the first created by players' decisions, rather than staff's.{{Cite web |last1=Lynch |first1=Andrew |last2=ET |first2=2017 at 8:35a |date=June 16, 2017 |title=The history of NBA superteams, from Wilt Chamberlain to the 2017 Warriors |url=http://www.foxsports.com/nba/gallery/nba-superteams-history-lebron-james-heat-cavaliers-warriors-061617 |access-date=October 7, 2020 |website=FOX Sports |language=en-US}} Before a game against the Brooklyn Nets on October 31, 2010, his first game against one of his suitors, James reflected on his free agency: "If I had to go back on it, I probably would do it a little bit different", James said. "But I'm happy with my decision." He declined to be more specific.{{cite news|last=Kaplan|first=Thomas|title=James Faces Jeering, but Little Competition|date=November 1, 2010|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/01/sports/basketball/01nets.html?_r=1&scp=5&sq=lebron%20james&st=cse|access-date=November 5, 2010|quote='If I had to go back on it, I probably would do it a little bit different,' James said before the game. 'But I'm happy with my decision.' He declined to be more specific.}} Following The Decision, Forbes listed him as one of the world's most disliked athletes.[https://www.forbes.com/pictures/eddf45fkhi/lebron-james-2/ America's Most Disliked Athletes]. Forbes; February 7, 2012. James relented about the TV special before the 2011–12 season: "if the shoe was on the other foot and I was a fan, and I was very passionate about one player, and he decided to leave, I would be upset too about the way he handled it."{{cite news|first=Tom|last=Weir|title=LeBron James expresses regrets about 'The Decision'|url=http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2011/12/lebron-james-expresses-regrets-about-the-decision/1|newspaper=USA Today|date=December 6, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120419144800/http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2011/12/lebron-james-expresses-regrets-about-the-decision/1|archive-date=April 19, 2012|url-status=live}} James won two NBA championships with Miami: the first in 2011–12 in his second season with the Heat,{{cite news|last=Beck|first=Howard|title=LeBron James Leads Heat Past Thunder for N.B.A. Title|date=June 22, 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|page=B11|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/22/sports/basketball/lebron-james-leads-heat-past-thunder-for-nba-title.html?pagewanted=all|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120625001606/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/22/sports/basketball/lebron-james-leads-heat-past-thunder-for-nba-title.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all|archive-date=June 25, 2012|url-status=live}} and again the following season in 2012–13. By 2013, his image had mostly recovered and he was reported by ESPN as the most popular player in the NBA for the second time in his career.{{cite web|last=Rovell|first=Darren|title=LeBron James NBA's most popular| date=July 26, 2013 |url=https://www.espn.com/nba/truehoop/miamiheat/story/_/id/9512608/poll-shows-lebron-james-passes-kobe-bryant-nba-most-popular-player|publisher=ESPN|access-date=July 27, 2013}}

The Cavaliers finished their 2010–11 season with a 19–63 record, including a then-NBA-record 26-game losing streak.{{cite news|last=Abrams|first=Jonathan|title=Cavs Get the No. 1 Pick and a Rebuilding Boost|date=May 18, 2011|newspaper=The New York Times|page=B15|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/18/sports/basketball/cleveland-cavs-cavaliers-the-no-1-draft-pick-and-a-rebuilding-boost.html?partner=rss&emc=rss|access-date=June 28, 2012}} In the four NBA drafts after James' departure, the Cavaliers won the draft lottery three times to receive the first overall pick.{{cite news|last=McPherson|first=Steve|title=Forever Changes: NBA Free Agency After LeBron|date=July 14, 2014|magazine=Rolling Stone|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/forever-changes-nba-free-agency-after-lebron-20140714| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140717085003/http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/forever-changes-nba-free-agency-after-lebron-20140714| archive-date=July 17, 2014|url-status=live}} Their 2011 first overall pick, Kyrie Irving, was named the 2012 NBA Rookie of the Year, and was also the MVP of both the All-Star Game and the FIBA Basketball World Cup in 2014.

When James announced his return to the Cavaliers for the 2014–15 season in a Sports Illustrated essay on July 11, 2014, he alluded to the controversy surrounding the special, saying "I'm not having a press conference or a party."{{cite magazine|url=https://www.si.com/nba/2014/07/11/lebron-james-cleveland-cavaliers|title=I'm Coming Home|first=LeBron|last=James|magazine=Sports Illustrated|date=July 11, 2014|access-date=July 12, 2014}} He led Cleveland to an NBA championship in 2015–16, when the Cavaliers became the first team ever to rally from a 3–1 deficit to win an NBA Finals. It was the city's first major professional sports title in 52 years.{{cite news|last1=Bontemps|first1=Tim|title=Cavaliers end over 50 years of Cleveland sports heartbreak with first NBA championship|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/cavaliers-beat-warriors-in-game-7-of-nba-finals-win-franchises-first-title/2016/06/19/e33bbfdc-366c-11e6-a254-2b336e293a3c_story.html|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=June 22, 2016}}

A poll by Davie-Brown Index after the special found that James's overall appeal dropped 11 percent, while his endorsement appeal dropped 2 percent, and trust in James dropped 3 percent.{{Cite web |last=Rovell |first=Darren |date=2011-07-08 |title=A Year Later, Polls Show LeBron Still Hasn't Recovered |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2011/07/08/a-year-later-polls-show-lebron-still-hasnt-recovered.html |access-date=2022-05-29 |website=CNBC |language=en}} Another poll from ESPN and Seton Hall taken in October 2010 found that 51.6% of basketball fans said that James move to Miami didn't impact how they viewed him, with 32% of white fans and 65% of Black fans viewing James favorably.{{Cite web |date=2010-10-20 |title=SportsCenter 3-Part Lebron James Series Includes Poll |url=https://espnpressroom.com/us/press-releases/2010/10/sportscenter-3-part-lebron-james-series-includes-poll/ |access-date=2022-05-29 |website=ESPN Press Room U.S. |language=en-US}}

In 2020, ESPN aired a documentary episode about the special titled Backstory: The Decision.[https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2020/06/28/lebron-james-the-decision-ten-years-later-complicated-legacy/3270353001/ LeBron James' 'The Decision' hardly represents legacy a decade later - USATODAY.com]{{Cite web |last=Ridenour |first=Marla |title=Marla Ridenour: ESPN's 'Backstory: The Decision' explores LeBron James' legacy of empowerment |url=https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/sports/college/basketball/2020/06/24/marla-ridenour-espnrsquos-lsquobackstory-decisionrsquo-explores-lebron-jamesrsquo-legacy-of-empowerm/113398940/ |access-date=2022-05-29 |website=Akron Beacon Journal |language=en-US}}

• Cleveland sports curse

{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

• {{YouTube|Afpgnb_9bA4|LeBron James' The Decision}}
• {{cite web |title='The Decision' deserves a deep rewind |date=June 30, 2018 |work=SB Nation |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xc7ppHftL_A&list=PLUXSZMIiUfFT6WwhB2Sk2gqz7agE9FlLg&index=8 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211215/xc7ppHftL_A |archive-date=December 15, 2021 |url-status=live|via=YouTube }}{{cbignore}}
• [https://www.denverpost.com/2020/06/27/lebron-james-decision-espn-documentary/ ESPN documentary to explore LeBron James' "Decision" — The Denver Post]

{{LeBron James}}

{{Cleveland Cavaliers}}

{{Miami Heat}}

{{Portal bar|Sports|Television|United States}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Decision, The (TV Special)}}

Category:2010s American television specials

Category:2010 in American television

Category:2010 television specials

Category:2010–11 NBA season

Category:Cleveland Cavaliers

Category:ESPN original programming

Category:LeBron James

Category:Miami Heat

Category:NBA on television

Category:July 2010 in the United States

Category:NBA controversies