LeBron James said thank you to his hometown Tuesday, taking out a full-page ad in the Akron Beacon Journal to tell the city of Akron he will always call it home.
But James did not mention the word “Cleveland” or “Cavaliers” or “teammates” in the ad.
Which has drawn more sniping and criticism in the city where he spent the first seven years of his career.
The ad will only further the growing belief that James never called Cleveland “home” or his “hometown.” While most fans do not differentiate between Cleveland and Akron, James may.
He held his MVP news conferences in Akron, not Cleveland. And asked at this year’s news conference at the University of Akron how he could leave, he discussed Akron always being home without mentioning Cleveland. Now comes this ad, which many are noticing for what it doesn’t say instead of what it does.
The advertisement reads:
“To My Family, Friends and Fans in Akron:
“For all my life, I have lived in Akron — and for that, I am truly a lucky man.
“It was here where I first learned how to play basketball, and where I met the people who would become my lifelong friends and mentors. Their guidance, encouragement and support will always be with me.
“Akron is my home, and the central focus of my life. It’s where I started, and it’s where I will always come back to. You can be sure that I will continue to do everything I can for this city, which is so important to my family and me. Thank you for your love and support. You mean everything to me.”
It is signed “LeBron”, and it includes photos of James’ annual Bike-A-Thon, an event when James gives bikes away to Akron kids and makes donations to local Akron charities. This year’s will take place on Saturday in downtown Akron.
The ad appears to be timed to take advantage of the event, which will mark James’ first public appearance since he announced he would join the Miami Heat.
James has directed an eight-mile bike ride in the past, but this year he will ride only one mile down Main Street in Akron. City officials said the event was scaled back to reduce costs and not because of James’ decision to join the Heat.
City officials will welcome him back. The Akron City Council has passed a resolution thanking and supporting James for his work in the community.
”No matter what his decision was, he’s still from Akron, Ohio,” Council President Marco Sommerville told the Beacon Journal. ”He’s a hometown person who we need to support.”
Others were not so welcoming. When James returns he will be greeted by a billboard less than two miles from his home that reads “Welcome home LeBron” with the word “home” crossed out. It then asks: “How does it feel to be a sidekick?”
