It’s amazing what a championship can do.
For the city of Cleveland, it ended 52 years of unthinkable heartache.
For Cavs owner Dan Gilbert, it erased the burning sense of pettiness he self-publicised with that notorious open letter to Cleveland fans following LeBron’s initial departure in 2010.
When Gilbert addressed LeBron’s departure for LA on Sunday night, there was no venom, no bitterness, and perhaps most importantly, no Comic Sans:
“We will always remember the evening of June 19, 2016 as the Cleveland Cavaliers, led by LeBron James, ended the 52-year drought delivering the long elusive championship that many thought they would never see…a championship that united generations of Clevelanders, both living and passed.”
He finished with: “LeBron, you came home and delivered the ultimate goal. Nothing but appreciation and gratitude for everything you put into every moment you spent in a Cavaliers uniform. We look forward to the retirement of the famous #23 Cars jersey one day down the line…”
Now that is much better than the 2010 edition, which contained key words ‘narcissistic’, ‘self-promotional’, ‘cowardly betrayal’, ‘self-titled former king’ and ‘shameful display of selfishness’.
You can read Gilbert’s freshly released statement here.
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