LeBron James tearfully celebrates NBA Finals victory (Video)
By Jaylyn Cook
LeBron James allowed his emotions to take over after bringing Cleveland its first NBA Championship. It was a beautiful moment for all.
Throughout a majority of he prolific career, LeBron James has frequently found himself compared – both favorably and unfavorably – to the great Michael Jordan. After he and his Cleveland Cavaliers downed the Golden State Warriors in seven games Sunday evening, his reaction to receiving the Larry O’Brien trophy was Jordan-esque in an entirely different way.
James broke down in tears as the golden trophy was handed to him during the championship celebration – a scene which almost exactly recreated the iconic images of Jordan tearfully cradling the trophy after the Chicago Bulls their first NBA Championship in 1991.
Any championship victory is an emotional moment for all involved, but this one was especially personal for James, as it was the first time the city of Cleveland has seen any sports-related gold in over 50 years. Plus, James himself promised the citizens of his home state that he would stop at nothing to bring them a title.
The weight of Ohio and all of James’ vehement detractors was lifted once the clock hit zero and the confetti quieted the raucous sea of Warriors yellow occupying the stands. James’ emotional moment has already begun making its way around the internet; the most succinct snapshot of it all was a 6 second loop from Vine stating “#ThisIsWhyWePlay.”
It’s as if a ghostwriter wrote the ending of the NBA Finals with the sentimentality level turned all the way up. All that was missing was the music from Hoosiers and a Gene Hackman speech.
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