I remember on the day of my 11th birthday, a special was on ESPN. It was entitled “The Decision.” This was the day when the best basketball player of our generation decided to take his talents to South Beach. Now, looking back, I can’t say I blame him. It’s probably an easy decision to relocate when you lose to  the Boston Celtics after you’ve carried your team all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals and the second best player on your team was Larry Hughes.

When he did decide to leave, he joined two other all-stars in Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. They became the original power team reminiscent of today’s Warriors team, but that is a whole different discussion that I feel even more strongly about in distaste. This Miami Heat team with The Big Three and veteran leadership from the likes of Ray Allen looked poised to make a deep playoff run, not just this year, but it could have been the making of a dynasty that could be the powerhouse of the Eastern Conference for the next five to eight years if the team stayed healthy and together.

Growing up as an Indiana kid, I was a Pacers fan from birth. Once we drafted Paul George, that was the start of something strong from Indiana, and in 2012 Paul and our All-Star center, Roy Hibbert, took on the Heat. They took the Heat to seven games, only to get blown out by 23 points in the final game of the series. I thought to myself that this Heat team was too good to beat. Granted, as history has proven that nothing is a done deal, the Heat didn’t beat every team in The Finals, only winning two championships in four consecutive finals appearances. As a fan of a team in The East, I couldn’t stand to have our chances be slim to none with the likes of The King and Flash (Wade) leading Miami past our team every year. It leaves a bitter taste in your mouth.

I did respect his greatness though. It’s hard to deny the basketball prowess of the greatest player of your time, and when he returned to Cleveland, that gave me hope for him to return to what I remembered him as before he was the villain.

Also there was the hope that he could bring a ring to Cleveland. He’s from Akron, drafted out of high school to the Cavaliers,  and he was the chosen one to bring them a ring. It was almost as if it was written from story book. How could you not root for the hometown hero bringing a title back to city that hadn’t celebrated a title in any major sport in 50 years?

Also, his leadership and cultural influence is invaluable to our generation that it just grows his stature amongst us. With the help of the Boy’s and Girl’s Club of America, James has established The Lebron James Foundation which helps children, many of whom are minority, find academic success and a path to college. He has also taken a stand on social issues, something many athletes are hesitant to do and has attempted to bridge the gap between youth and police. In particular, he has spoken out not in favor causing distress but being a more responsible and correctly outspoken group of young adults to lead our country.

With all these things coming together, his basketball skill and cultural importance, it’s made me a fan again. Frankly, I’m glad I can cheer for, quite possibly, my favorite player of all time again.