CLEVELAND — He walked in unannounced and unassuming, dressed in a dark peacoat, scarf and gray driver’s cap, the outfit of man who long ago left for warmer climates but never forgot the cold of his hometown.
LeBron James’ return to Cleveland as a visitor for the first time in four years was as muted as these things come, and he walked so briskly from the player’s entrance in the bowels of Quicken Loans Arena to the visitor’s locker room that it left multiple camera men grumbling that they couldn’t capture the perfect shot.
Everything about Wednesday night’s Cavs-Lakers nationally televised game felt as reserved as The King’s arrival. There were no anti-LeBron signs dotting the crowd as there were on December 2, 2010, the very first time LeBron returned to Cleveland wearing something other than wine and gold. There were almost as many LeBron Lakers jerseys in the lower bowl as Cavs garb. There were friendly exchanges between LeBron and some of his former teammates, as he embraced Kevin Love near the Cavs locker room, performed his signature handshake with Tristan Thompson during pregame and surprised Channing Frye with an enormous bear hug.
The lone sort of drama came when LeBron stayed in the locker room almost five minutes longer than the rest of his Laker teammates before running onto the court for pregame warmups, turning a sold-out crowd anxious for a glimpse of his presence into a restless mob. But then he emerged from the tunnel, the building briefly erupted into cheers and the reality of the situation once again set in. This was a mid-November, regular season basketball game between the worst team in the NBA and a Lakers team still trying to figure out its identity.
Even LeBron’s performance was relatively pedestrian. He came out hot, scoring 6 points in the game’s first four minutes, then downshifted into neutral for much of the second half, even as the Cavs built a double-digit lead. He re-engaged in the 4th, pulling up over Cedi Osman from a few feet beyond the 3-point arc to tie the game at 99, draining one of those impossible shots he’d done so many times before in a Cavs uniform. Suddenly, he’d finished the game with 32 points, 14 rebounds and 7 assists, an outrageous line to have compiled so quietly, as is custom for LeBron.
The Lakers escaped with a 105-101 win, and LeBron retreated back to the locker room, where he feasted on Swenson’s, the burger joint from his hometown of Akron, before reappearing for his postgame interview as content as someone who just wolfed down a Galley Boy and banana milkshake could be.
The gravitational pull of home is still strong for LeBron. He spent Wednesday morning at his I Promise school that opened this summer in Akron, where one little girl was so overwhelmed by his presence that she broke down in tears until LeBron swooped her up in his enormous arms. He rocked a pair of “More Than a Game” LeBron VIIs, kicks that sport the green and gold colors of his high school alma mater, St. Vincent – St. Mary. And he wasn’t the only one who got to munch on Swenson’s after the game; it comprised the entire Lakers postgame meal.
And the frost from those who still live in Northeast Ohio appears almost completely melted. The ovation from the crowd during LeBron’s player introduction was raucous, and it continued on through the first few times LeBron touched the basketball. A tribute video that played during the game’s first time out on the Humungotron earned more applause, and LeBron strolled around the court, his finger pointed to the sky in acknowledgement. It was as if he’d been gone for years and just returned for Thanksgiving break to a group of friends that missed him more than they’d care to admit.
“I just felt different form the time we landed,” LeBron said afterwards. “I’m a different person. We’re all different from eight years ago. It’s all about growth, and we’ve all grown from that moment eight years ago.”
Cleveland and LeBron now go their separate ways once again. Fans will continue to watch from a distance, pushing themselves to stay awake for 10:30 pm Eastern tips, smiling at the records LeBron will break in purple and gold as if he were still rocking Cavs across his chest. 2022 looms as another potential homecoming, with LeBron’s contract with the Lakers expiring and the NBA All-Star Game touching down in Cleveland. That one, should it happen, won’t be as muted. That one will be a coronation. But for now, two old friends who have been through a lot together were finally just happy to simply see each other other again.
