The LeBron James-Cleveland Cavaliers fairytale has one of the most compelling narratives in NBA history. Marked by a rollercoaster of emotions, the narrative ended with “The Promise” being delivered. Deciding to return home in 2014, James gained an admirer in Kevin Durant.

Born in Akron, Ohio, James had the perfect story to tell. A generational talent, he was selected by his hometown team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, as the first pick in the 2003 NBA draft. But things took a tragic turn with “The Decision” in 2010, making him an overnight villain.

Achieving the goal he had set out to do with the Miami Heat, James knew it was time to go back home in 2014. Calling it a classy move, Durant applauded him for making the right choice.

“I thought it was well-thought-out. It was classy. It was a great move to do it as a letter. That was pretty cool. It’s funny seeing guys think about more than just basketball for once. He thought about the city where he comes from, about Northeast Ohio, and how he can affect so many of the kids, just being there, playing basketball. I love that.” said KD, who had lost to James and the Heat in the 2012 Finals.

Applauding James, he added, “I texted him and told him congratulations on the decision and told him I was happy for him. As a fan of the game, it’s going to be pretty cool to see him back in Cleveland.” Nonetheless, Durant had been highly critical of the move in 2010.

Durant’s controversial tweet in 2010

Though KD gave James the props for following what he thought was best for him, he did take a dig at his South Beach decision. Playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder at the time, he tweeted the following:

“Now everybody wanna play for the Heat and the Lakers? Let’s go back to being competitive and going at these peoples!”

Offering his explanation on the subject, Durant, who was on the Warriors at the time, revealed how the tweet was directed at Penny Hardaway.

“If you go back and look at when I posted that, I posted that later in the month. You want to know why? Penny Hardaway came out and said, ‘I would love to play for the Heat, I think I could help them win the championship.’ And I’m like, ‘Come on, Penny. You’ve been out of the game. I played against you my rookie year, it’s like three years later, man. What are you doing?’ But it was a fake article,” clarified Durant in a 2017 CBS Sports report.

James delivered his promise to Cleveland

“The Kid from Akron” certainly could not have asked for a better comeback. Returning for his second stint with the Cavaliers, James took his team to the 2015 NBA Finals. Unfortunately, they lost to the Warriors in six games.

Nevertheless, Bron put up one of the greatest basketball shows of all time. Many believe that had it not been for the injuries to Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, we would have probably had different results.

Meeting the 73-9 Warriors in the 2016 Finals, the Cavs pulled off the unthinkable. Coming back from a 3-1 deficit, James and Irving helped erase the 52-year-old championship drought of Cleveland. Marking a moment where everything had come full circle, with James crowned Finals MVP.