Quotes from LeBron James and reaction from around the NBA after he announced Thursday that he will leave Cleveland to play for the Miami Heat next season:
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“It ultimately came down to where I feel like I can win the most and where I was going to be happy with my friends and family.” – LeBron James
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“I feel like this is going to give me the best opportunity to win. And to win for multiple years. Not only just to win in the regular season, or just to win five games in a row or three games in a row. I want to be able to win championships and I feel like I can compete down there.” – James
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“Well, for me, it’s not about sharing. It’s about everybody having their own spotlight and then just doing what’s best for the team.” – James on playing with Heat stars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh
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“There’s magic in the number three.” – Wade
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“Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” – Bosh on Twitter
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re they never been before.” – James on Cavaliers
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“And you can’t when you get to that point when you win a championship, you can’t say, “Wow, I wish I would have did it somewhere else.’ That makes no sense because you put a lot of hard work into it to get to that point and I have not got there yet.” – James
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“Our fans stepped up and showed their support, to a degree unlike anywhere else. We are fortunate to have the support of the best fans in the NBA. That passion and dedication will be rewarded. We will work relentlessly to continue to build a team that will contend. A team that will win championships.” – Cleveland Cavaliers general manager Chris Grant
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“I never wanted to leave Cleveland. My heart will always be around that area. But I also felt like this is the greatest challenge for me, is to move on.” – James
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“At the end of the day, I feel awful. I feel even worse that I wasn’t able to bring an NBA championship to that city.” – James
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“We are disappointed that LeBron James did not pick the New York Knicks, but we respect his decision.” – New York Knicks president Donnie Walsh
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s owner Mikhail Prokhorov
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“All of us are ultimately going to take less money because we wanted to play along side each other and we feel like we can be great together.” – James
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“In this league, you become a superstar as an individual. But you become a champion as a teammate. I know the history and I understand that.” – James
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“I remain convinced that this organization made the strongest of bids to acquire LeBron James during this free agency period.” – Chicago Bulls general manager Gar Forman.
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“Cmon cavs fans don’t do that. That man went hard for y’all for 7 yrs. He doin what’s best for him burning his jersey is messed up.” – Orlando Magic’s Dwight Howard on Twitter
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“They (the Cavaliers) had the best record in the league the last two seasons and didn’t make it out of the Eastern Conference. I can understand LeBron’s frustration.” – former player Reggie Miller on NBA TV
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“He’s (Wade) the Derek Jeter down there. Now you have the Alex Rodriguez coming in, which is LeBron James. … Between Wade and James, one of those guys is going to have to sacrifice, and that guy has to be LeBron James.” – Miller
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“In fairness, if I was 25 I’d try to win it by myself. Not technically by myself, but I would want to be the guy. … LeBron is never going to be the guy.” – former player Charles Barkley on NBA TV
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