LeBron James To Play For Heat
— NBA star LeBron James announced on Thursday night that he is leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers to play for the Miami Heat. James made the announcement during an hour-long special on ESPN. James has decided to join forces with guard Dwyane Wade and forward Chris Bosh to create a “big three” in Miami. James said he didn’t reach the decision to go to South Beach until Thursday morning. James also said he’s going to the Heat because he wants to be able to win championships, and he feels like he can in Miami.
The 25-year-old James won his second straight MVP award after averaging 29.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 8.6 assists in 76 regular-season games with the Cavaliers last year. James had been courted by the Cavs, New York Knicks, New Jersey Nets, Chicago Bulls, and Los Angeles Clippers since officially becoming a free agent last week. James was selected out of high school by the Cavaliers with the first-overall pick in the 2003 draft, and has been named an All-Star six times. He holds career averages of 27.8 points, 7.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists over 548 career games.
James was the big prize in the NBA free agent frenzy of 2010. While James will join Wade and Bosh in Miami, others have moved on to different places as well. Forward Amar’e Stoudemire decided to sign with the New York Knicks, and fellow forward Carlos Boozer signed with the Chicago Bulls. Other stars, such as Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce, Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki [[ no-VIT-skee ]], and Atlanta Hawks swingman Joe Johnson, decided to stay put.
