Miami Lands A King

LeBron James put the NBA on notice Thursday night, joining Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami.

Ending weeks of silence and drama, the two-time MVP said on his ESPN special from Greenwich, Conn. on Thursday night that he's decided to join the Miami Heat and leave the Cleveland Cavaliers after an unsuccessful seven-year quest for the championship he covets.


LeBron James will sit down with Robin Roberts on Good Morning America on ABC (Friday, 7 a.m. ET) to discuss the ins and outs of one of the most-talked about free-agent decisions in NBA history.

"The best opportunity to win and to win now and to win in the future also," James said. "Winning is a huge thing for me."

It's a huge victory for the Heat, who got commitments from Wade and Bosh on Wednesday. That duo, along with James, formed the upper echelon of the most-celebrated free-agent period in league history.

James said the contract numbers for all three were not finalized, but all three agreed to take less money to play alongside each other.

Still, Heat president Pat Riley landed them all, a three-pack of stars to help shape his quest for a dynasty in Miami.

And for Cleveland, a city scorned for generations by some of sports' biggest letdowns, James' long-awaited words represented a defeat perhaps unlike any other.

James is gone. Home sweet home no more.

He said he made the decision Thursday morning and knows it won't go over well in Ohio.

"They can have mixed emotions, of course," James said, adding that Akron will "always be home for me."

The Cavs drafted James No. 1 overall in 2003 out of St. Vincent-St. Mary's High School in Akron, Ohio.



The Associated Press contributed to this report.