Cavs’ Dan Gilbert was on plane to Miami, LeBron James after all
By Mike Dyce
On Sunday over the Fourth of July weekend, NBA fans were glued to Twitter and the internet as Cleveland Cavaliers fans tracked a plane to south Florida. The plane was reportedly that of Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, giving the Cavaliers fans hope that he was bringing LeBron James home to northeast Ohio.
Gilbert for his part denied the report and claimed there was no merit to the story.
“. @LullOnSports:Cavs owner Dan Gilbert is currently en route to south Florida.” I am? Sorry folks but enjoying weather in my backyard today
— Dan Gilbert (@cavsdan) July 6, 2014
People began to look into the flight history of the plane and where it was registered, noticing some similarities.
Can’t argue w/ flight history. Indy on same day Hayward met with #Cavs & NJ around time Irving signed his extension. http://t.co/n5Qi5lKm5X
— Brendan Leister (@BrendanLeister) July 6, 2014
But Gilbert had denied it, and it looks like Gilbert lied to keep a face-to-face meeting with LeBron James private. James said that Gilbert and him had a face-to-face meeting in his announcement on Sports Illustrated, but didn’t indicate when that occurred.
Mark Schwarz said the meeting took place roughly a week ago on ESPN.
Gilbert told Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski that the meeting was infact on Sunday, the day that plane flew to south Florida.
"“We had five great years together and one terrible night,” Gilbert told James, and so started the process of reconciliation on Sunday night in Miami. “I told him how sorry I was, expressed regret for how that night went and how I let all the emotion and passion for situation carry me away. I told him I wish had never done it, that I wish I could take it back.”…From James and his agent Rich Paul and business manager Maverick Carter, the air of peace hung heavy in the South Florida air, the process of returning to Cleveland had begun in earnest.…Gilbert had flown down on his private jet on Sunday for the most important meeting of his billionaire business life.…In the end, LeBron James wanted to come home, wanted to forgive, and there were these two figures, forever connected in history, sitting in Miami on Sunday and slowly, surely laying out a way it could all happen again."
Looks like all those internet airplane trackers were right and not crazy after all. I bet a lot of owners are re-thinking their private plane and flight situations. Gilbert reportedly had his removed from the tracking site.