There’s no denying that LeBron James is the greatest player in Cleveland Cavaliers’ historyand maybe even the greatest athlete ever born in that state. He became a legend, then a villain, and later came back to deliver his promise and achieve a God-like status in Ohio.
Needless to say, that means younger Cavs fans are used to nothing but greatness. They witnessed LeBron at the peak of his powers, so anything beyond those unrealistic standards won’t raise their eyebrows.
That’s why, after witnessing firsthand what it felt like to have The King back in The Q, newcomer Donovan Mitchell realized how much it meant to them. Now, he wants to live up to those standards as well.
NBA News: Donovan Mitchell Was Impressed By LeBron James’ Reception In Cleveland
“It really hit, for me, like a full-circle moment,” Mitchell told The Athletic. “I kind of sat there and just kind of watched the reception he got, and that’s incredible. It’s well deserved. He’s one of the greatest players of all time, brought a championship — the only championship — to this franchise, and you always gotta have respect and admiration for that. And hopefully, we can do something similar.”
“It’s really cool, to be honest with you,” the guard added. “To be able to be here and be in a situation where as a kid, you’re literally watching games in front of a TV, and now you’re a part of this. So like I said, (James) set a standard. And we just want to honestly go out there and try to win the championship. And like when you have a guy and have a group and have a team that wants to continue to build, it’s great when you have that on our team. And it starts with our owner (and) trickles down; you feel the energy, you feel it. I think we can be something special, but we got a lot of work to do and continue to build.”
Obviously, living up to what LeBron James did in Cleveland is quite ambitious, but that’s the mindset they need from their franchise player and locker-room leader. Also, if he can achieve half of what James did, he’ll also have his jersey hanging high in the rafters one day.
