LeBron James says he's returning to Cavaliers

photo In this April 22, 2010 file photo, then-Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James talks to teammate Anderson Varejao during the first quarter of Game 3 in the first round of the NBA basketball playoffs against the Chicago Bulls, in Chicago. The wait continues for the next decision. At stake for LeBron James: Where he plays for the next few seasons, and which fan base _ the already-scorned one in Cleveland or the panicked one in Miami _ will undoubtedly feel alienated by whatever choice his latest foray into free agency leads him to make. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

TIM REYNOLDS

TOM WITHERS

CLEVELAND (AP) - LeBron James is going back to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

James tells Sports Illustrated, that he's decided to go home. It's a move that would have seemed unfathomable four years ago, after the venomous fallout that followed his decision to leave Cleveland for the Miami Heat.

James told SI: "My relationship with Northeast Ohio is bigger than basketball. I didn't realize that four years ago. I do now."

He spent his first seven NBA seasons in Cleveland. In four years with the Heat, he went to the NBA Finals four times, winning two championships. And now heads back to Cleveland to see if he can finally deliver on his promise of winning a crown for that title-starved city.

James is from Akron, Ohio, not far from Cleveland.

Upcoming Events