"To light this place up" - LeBron James believes he attained ambitious goal of creating Vegas vibes in Cleveland

With the benefit of hindsight, NBA superstar LeBron James believes he was great during his run with the Cleveland Cavaliers. In particular, he mentioned how he attained the Vegas vibe that he was aiming for the team to have after years of being at the backend of the league.

“The King’ won only one NBA title with Cleveland in 2016, but it was extremely significant because it was the franchise’s first-ever. He also helped the Cavs be a constant force in the league during his stay there, helping them reach the Finals four other times.

Following his latest visit to Cleveland on Saturday, where the Los Angeles Lakers played the Cavaliers, LeBron James spoke of the impact he had on his former team.

The Akron, Ohio native said (via NBA):

“Every time you walk these hallways, I think about a lot of games. From the time I was a rookie to the last time I played here… It’s special, very special, a kid from Akron, I grew up 30 miles south of here.”

“To be able to be drafted here and spend my first seven years and then come back for four more years, did some special things that franchise had never seen. When I was drafted, I said 'I wanted to light this place up like Vegas, and I feel like I did a decent job doing that while I was here.”

LeBron James was selected by the Cavaliers as the first overall pick in the 2003 NBA rookie draft. He spent his first seven years in the league with the team, helping it reach the NBA Finals in 2007. In 2010, he took his talents to the Miami Heat, where he won his first two NBA titles.

He then went back to Cleveland in 2014 and two years after he gave the city its first-ever NBA title (in 2016), he moved to the LA Lakers in 2018, winning a title with them in 2020.

In their game on Saturday, James and the Lakers beat the Cavaliers 121-115, with the 38-year-old icon finishing with 22 points, six rebounds, and six assists.

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LeBron James feted in latest visit to Cleveland

During their game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James was given a tribute by his former team for the numerous scoring milestones he had with the squad and beyond.

The video tribute took place early in the first quarter of the game. The clips included his first NBA bucket, his first in-game dunk with the team, the time he broke the team’s all-time scoring record, when he reached 25,000 points, then 30,00 points, and when he became the NBA all-time scoring leader earlier this year with the Lakers.

To show his appreciation, ‘The King’ stood up after the video was shown and waved to the crowd he once represented.