The king is back!
Fans in Ohio gave LeBron James a welcome worthy of royalty on Friday, packing the University of Akron stadium in a homecoming rally to celebrate the NBA star’s return to the Cavaliers.
‘I love you. I’m back,’ he told some 25,000 screaming fans, while his pregnant wife Savannah stood nearby with their sons LeBron Jr. and Bryce.
‘I feel like a musician right now,’ he added. ‘I felt like I was going to sing or rap or do something right now coming out into this crowd.’
He’s back! LeBron James promised fans in his hometown that he’s in Ohio to stay
James’ welcome in Ohio was capped with fireworks after a two-hour ceremony at the University of Akron stadium
Some 25,000 fans waited for as many as six hours for a chance to watch James’ homecoming at the University of Akron stadium
Fans waited in line for six hours for a prime seat for the event on the University of Akron campus, not far from where the 29-year-old James bounced his first basketball.
There were tributes during the two-hour ceremony, highlighted by recording artist Skylar Grey signing her hit ‘I’m Coming Home,’ and a fireworks display to cap the evening.
‘I don’t plan on going nowhere,’ he promised fans.
The welcome-home party coincided with James’ annual ‘I Promise’ campaign, which supports local children and is sponsored by his family foundation.
‘It’s pretty amazing,’ James said. ‘I’m not gonna sit up here and say it’s not. To know you can do things for people, give them hope, give them inspiration.
‘I love you:’ James was greeted like royalty at the University of Akron campus, where he told fans his heart was always in Ohio
‘It means a lot to me,’ he added, surrounded by kids his foundation supports. ‘I understand I’m a role model. I understand to these kids I’m more than a role model. I’m a superhero to them. I’m a father to them. I’m a brother to them, whatever the case they want me to be on that particular day.”
Although he was playing for the Heat, James said his heart was always home and he realized it was time to return.
‘It just hit me,’ he said. ‘Sometimes you just have a feeling.
You realize what’s going on and what’s happening. It just hit me.’
James’ homecoming event coincided with the NBA star’s annual ‘I Promise’ campaign for area children, which is sponsored by his family foundation
