LeBron James Is Going Back To His Roots

After helping to secure two NBA titles in his four years in Miami, free agent LeBron James is returning to play for his native state with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He made waves when he traded Ohio for the sunny beaches of Miami, but judging by Twitter buzz, Cleveland is welcoming its prodigal son back with open arms. Or, you know, they're working on it. While the Internet feverishly speculated where James would land after leaving the Heat, the Cavaliers started to make nice by removing a four-year-old letter by owner Dan Gilbert from its website, which called James' decision to leave Cleveland “a shameful display of selfishness and betrayal.”

Maybe they should post a new letter in its place.

Dear LeBron,Never mind, bro. See you soooooooo soon!Love you forever and ever and please win us a championship,The Cavaliers

In his letter, Gilbert also made a promise that he couldn't deliver:"I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE THAT THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS WILL WIN AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THE SELF-TITLED FORMER 'KING' WINS ONE."

Whoops. But the city has a little bit of ass kissing to do, too. When James left in 2010, the good ol' people of Cleveland tore down a 10-story mural of him and burning jerseys. And you know what? No one blamed them. James went out with no shortage of pomp, as usual, making sure everyone knew that it was him calling the shots. The Cavaliers plucked LeBron straight from high school and held him close for seven years. It's hard not to look at it like a betrayal.

But at least with this move, James is showing a rekindled loyalty to the home team. The Akron, Ohio native made that clear in his heartfelt monologue published via Sports Illustrated . In the end, his basketball may have made his career, but your home is what makes you. I can only hope that the relationship can trump any lingering hard feelings from fans, players, or management, and that James can help bring a championship-starved team back on the map.

Regardless, the King's decision to go back to the Cavaliers wasn't one fueled by a need to repair hurt feelings. As a four-time NBA MVP, LeBron probably doesn't care about stepping on toes. I think that his decision was a genuine feeling of wanting to be closer to the people and environment that birthed his career and person. Take it from someone with a giant homage to my home state tattooed on my shoulder: Your roots are one of the only things in your life that will remain constant.