LeBron James Just Became a Legend

Cleveland's championship is 'transformative'
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 20, 2016 6:49 AM CDT
LeBron James Just Became a Legend
Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James, center, celebrates with teammates.   (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

LeBron James led his Cleveland Cavaliers to a Game 7 win Sunday night to cap an epic championship series, one in which the Cavs became the first team to come back from a 3-1 deficit. Some of the next-morning analysis:

  • If there are any LeBron haters left, it's time to let it go, writes Ben Collins in the Daily Beast. (He counts himself as one of those former haters.) He's "one of the greatest there is. He's up there with Jordan."
  • Josh Levin at Slate explains why this is now true: "If he wasn't before, LeBron James is now, rightfully, a basketball legend."
  • Tim Reynolds of the AP weighs in, too. No more debate: LeBron is the "best player in basketball."

  • Sports Illustrated says this play by James late in the game (a "superhuman" shot block) will be replayed for years.
  • Cleveland native Bert Stratton writes about what the first sports championship in a half-century means for his city at the New York Times.
  • An editorial in the Cleveland Plain Dealer has three words for it: "magic, unbelievable, transformative."
  • A post at Complex says an emotional JR Smith of the Cavs gave one of the most memorable post-game news conferences ever. The video is here.
  • Deadspin highlights the moment Cleveland newscasters learned the Cavs had won while on the air.
(More LeBron James stories.)

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