LeBron: Charged Up

LeBron James spent the past year breathing new life into the Cavaliers and the city of Cleveland as a whole, in ways both tangible and immeasurable. The next step? Well, you know.

- Adam Figman

March 20, 2013. A relatively meaningless Cavs-Heat game at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland is trudging through its fourth quarter, the Heat holding an 83 79 lead over a truly depressing, Lottery-bound Cavs team.

As then-Cleveland guard Shaun Livingston holds up his right hand to set up some sort of inevitably ill advised set play, a skinny 6-1 white kid wearing a t-shirt that reads WE MISS YOU on one side and 2014 COME BACK on the other sprints on to the court, making it to the left elbow of the three-point line before a security guard runs and snatches him up in a forceful reverse bear hug.

That’s when things get kinda weird. The kid’s purpose has become clear: He’s a crazed LeBron fan on a mission to let LBJ know that the Cavaliers’ fan base would love for him to make a return to Ohio once his contract runs up 15 or so months later. As he’s dragged off the floor, he chirps, “We miss you here, LeBron,” in James’ direction.

He’s also a massive security risk, and one doesn’t need to re watch more than a little Malice at the Palace footage to remember that NBA players don’t exactly love fans coming all up into their workspace. And yet, as he’s pulled away by what’s rapidly become a gaggle of arena staffers, LeBron drifts toward James Blair, and then, for some reason, extends his hand, gives Blair a quick dap, then taps the kid’s head with slightly noticeable affection before Blair is erased from the scene.