Alert the royal trumpeters: King James has chosen.
LeBron James, the NBA's reigning two-time MVP, has ended months of speculation and suspense by telling the world Thursday night where he'll play basketball next season:
Miami. Of all places.
"I can't say it was always in my plans, because I never thought it was possible," James said. "But the things that the Miami Heat franchise have done, to free up cap space and be able to put themselves in a position this summer to have all three of us, it was hard to turn down. Those are two great players, two of the greatest players that we have in this game today."
Olympic teammates in Beijing, James, Bosh and Wade all helped deliver gold medals.
This time, it'll be about a gold trophy, the NBA championship one — the one Wade got in 2006, the one that James and Bosh have yet to touch.
"Winning is a huge thing for me," James said.
Much was at stake, and there were lots of opinions about what he should do. President Barack Obama openly rooted for his hometown Bulls, which may not help his poll numbers in Ohio.
In a move they don't teach in Journalism 101, ESPN televised James' decision live from a Boys & Girls Club in Greenwich, Conn., a group with which James has a relationship. He didn't make his announcement into half an hour into the special telecast.
Wearing a lavender shirt and jeans, James arrived at the club about 8:50 p.m. and entered through a side door, missing most of the crowd. As folks realized it was James exiting a van, the crowd of about 400 people began chanting "New York Knicks, New York Knicks," then switched to "LeBron James."
Frank Sanchez, the vice president for corporate and partner relationships for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, said James approached the organization last weekend about using its location for his big show.
The TV special was supposed raise at least $1 million to help refurbish gyms under a program that James' foundation will help direct, and kids from the Greenwich club were invited to attend the announcement, Sanchez said.
In the hours before his choice was revealed, the sports world spun out of control with speculation and rumors. Some reports said he had told his inner circle he is leaning toward the Miami Heat. They proved to be true.
James, Bosh and Wade entered the pros in the same year, the respective Nos. 1, 4 and 5 picks in the 2003 draft. They went their separate ways: James to Cleveland, Bosh to Toronto and Wade to Miami, where he won a championship partnered with center Shaquille O'Neal in 2006. That year, James, Bosh and Wade all signed matching contracts to make sure they were all unrestricted free agents at the same time.
They won gold medals together at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and are now poised to unite in South Florida.
