LeBron James will probably forever be revered as a traitor to most Cleveland Cavaliers fans for the way he left the city last summer, but after his Miami Heat were able to advance past the Boston Celtics last night, he decided to apologize for the way "The Decision" went down.
His quotes from the press conference, which is available on NBA.com, are transcribed below.
"Everything I went through this summer with 'The Decision' and deciding to come down here to be a part of this team happened because I knew how important team is to this sport," James said in the press conference. "It's not about an individual and I understand everything and all of the backlash I got from it."
"I knew deep down in my heart that I couldn't -- as much as as I loved my teammates back in Cleveland, as much as I loved home -- I knew I couldn't do it by myself against [the Celtics]," James went on to say. "I knew that was the team I wanted to get over the hump against."
"I went through a lot with deciding to be here and the way it panned out with all my friends and family and the fans back home. I apologize for the way it happened, but I knew that this opportunity was once in a lifetime to be able to come out here and to pair with two guys and to pair with this organization," James said. "In order for me to move on in my career, I though that team that we just defeated, I had to go through them at some point."
Time will tell if that's enough to get fans of the Cavs to forgive him, but at least it's a start.