Look back at some of the key figures surrounding LeBron James' free agency and "The Decision" and see where they are now.
On the one-year anniversary of 'The Decision,' we take a look at where LeBron James and the major players of the events surrounding July 8, 2010 are now.
LeBron James
Then: According to this story on SI.com, James flew out of Cleveland and arrived in Connecticut around 2 p.m. on July 8, 2010 and stayed at the house of Mark Dowley until it was time to go to the Boys and Girls Club. He was visited there by Kanye West.
Since 'The Decision': James averaged 26.7 points, 7 assists and 7 rebounds per game for Miami in 2010-2011. The Heat advanced to the NBA Finals, where they lost to the Dallas Mavericks in six games. James played well against Boston and Chicago in the playoffs, but his struggles against Dallas in the Finals, especially in fourth quarters, left many wondering if he'll ever be able to lead a team to a championship.
Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh
Then: On July 7th, it was reported that Bosh agreed to join Wade in Miami. No one was sure at the time if LeBron James would also join them. There were reports that James had tried to convince Bosh to come to Cleveland.
Since 'The Decision': Bosh averaged 18.7 ppg for Miami, his lowest since '04-'05, to go with 8.3 rpg. Many questioned Bosh's fit in Miami as the season went along and he failed to provide them with the low-post presence they needed. Dwyane Wade became the Heat's second-leading scorer behind James, but re-established himself as the leader of the team during the NBA Finals. In fact, many wondered if Wade's apparent yelling at LeBron during Game 3 led to James' poor performance for the remainder of the series.
Dan Gilbert
Then: Like most Cavaliers' fans, Gilbert was unsure on the day of 'The Decision' if LeBron James would return or if he would leave. After 'The Decision,' Gilbert wrote a now
infamous and controversial letter guaranteeing the Cavaliers would win a championship before LeBron James.
Since 'The Decision': Gilbert has been front-and-center for the Cavaliers as he has taken to Twitter, his most famous Tweet coming after the Cavaliers' defeated Miami at The Q in March. Gilbert's company, Rock Gaming, has also started construction on a downtown casino. Gilbert has been both the target of praise for his willingness to spend and his outspoken nature and also a target of criticism for his public feud with LeBron James and the preferential treatment the Cavaliers gave James while he was in Cleveland.
Pat Riley
Then: LeBron James gets the hate, but Pat Riley may be the most controversial figure in the run-up to James leaving. Riley had a meeting with LeBron James in Miami in December 2009 that caused Dan Gilbert to eventually launch a tampering investigation. In fact, according to a Brian Windhorst article from July 2010, Riley and the Heat began laying the foundation for Bosh, Wade and James as early as 2006.
Since 'The Decision': Riley remains in his role with the Heat and, despite chatter coming up every now and again that he would come down and replace Eric Spoelstra as coach of the Heat, he has remained in his executive role. Riley received a co-Executive of the Year award this past season.
Maverick Carter
Then: Carter receives much of the credit - and much of the blame - for the choice to do 'The Decision' as well as what most observers saw as its poor execution.
Since 'The Decision': Carter remains in his role with LeBron James and remains a villain in the eyes of Cavaliers' fans. Carter also remains a lightning rod for controversy, as some in the media see him as a brilliant, young business man and others question whether he can handle his role managing LeBron James' off-court activities.
Chris Grant
Then: Grant took over for Danny Ferry following his resignation and was immediately charged with trying to keep LeBron James. The Cavaliers met with James for 90 minutes on July 3rd, focusing their pitch on family, home, and showed him a "Family Guy"-style cartoon featuring James and his friends.
Since 'The Decision': Grant's moves in the post-LeBron James era include acquiring Ramon Sessions and Ryan Hollins, bringing Christian Eyenga over to the NBA, and trading Mo Williams and Jamario Moon to the Clippers in exchange for Baron Davis and an unprotected lottery pick that became the No. 1 pick and point guard Kyrie Irving. Grant also took Texas forward Tristan Thompson with the No. 4 pick and traded J.J. Hickson to Sacramento for Omri Casspi.
Danny Ferry
Then: Ferry unexpectedly resigned as the Cavaliers' general manager on June 4th. Ferry stepped down after years of trying to build a team that could win a championship right away for LeBron James. His most significant deals involved signing Larry Hughes, pulling off a complicated deal that netted Ben Wallace, Delonte West and Wally Szczerbiak, trading for Mo Williams in the summer of 2008, acquiring Shaquille O'Neal during the summer of 2009 and trading for Antawn Jamison at the trading deadline in 2010.
Since 'The Decision': Ferry returned to the place he left to become Cavaliers' GM, San Antonio, as their vice president of basketball operations.
Mike Brown
Then: Mike Brown was fired after five seasons as Cavaliers head coach in May of 2010 after the team lost to Boston in six games in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Brown won 272 regular season games and 42 playoff games.
Since 'The Decision': Brown sat out the 2010-2011 season, but did make regular appearances on ESPN as a studio analyst and color commentator. Brown also was a regular at his son's basketball practices and games with St. Edward. Nearly a year to the day that he was fired, Brown became the surprise replacement for Phil Jackson as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Tom Izzo
Then: The Cavaliers and owner Dan Gilbert made no secret of their pursuit of Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo to replace Mike Brown. After a visit to Cleveland and
a weekend to think it over, Izzo decided to stay at Michigan State.
Since 'The Decision': Izzo remains the head coach of the Spartans.
Byron Scott
Then: Scott was introduced as the Cavaliers' head coach on July 2, 2010. He instantly began trying to sell LeBron James on the merits of winning titles at home and his system's emphasis on running.
Since 'The Decision': Scott endured a difficult season that ended with just 19 wins and included a NBA-record 26-game losing streak. While some rumors popped up that Scott could jump ship to coach the Lakers, none of them gained traction and he remains the Cavaliers' coach.
Mo Williams
Then: Mo Williams was brought to Cleveland to provide LeBron James with an outside scoring threat. Williams made the Eastern Conference All-Star team in 2009, but struggled in his two postseasons with the Cavaliers.
Since 'The Decision': Following a Twitter meltdown in the early morning hours following James' announcement, Williams contemplated retirement but returned to the Cavaliers. He was traded in February to the Clippers for point guard Baron Davis and an unprotected lottery pick, which ended up becoming the No. 1 pick in the 2011 draft.
Brian Windhorst
Then: Windhorst covered all the run-up to 'The Decision,' including the Cavaliers' coach and general manager changes, LeBron James' meetings with teams in Cleveland and 'The Decision' aftermath for The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com.
Since 'The Decision': After years of covering the buildup to LeBron's free agency and his eventual departure, Windhorst set off on a worldwide trip chronicled on cleveland.com and in The Plain Dealer. Prior to the start of the 2010-2011 season, he announced that he was leaving The Plain Dealer to write for ESPN's newly-launched Heat Index dedicated to covering the Miami Heat. Windhorst remains a presence in Cleveland, however, doing interviews on cleveland.com and on local sports radio and writing guest pieces for The Plain Dealer.
Shaquille O'Neal
Then: O'Neal was brought to Cleveland to try to, as he put it, "win a ring for the King." O'Neal had a mostly up-and-down season and was never able to blend back in with the team after missing time with a thumb injury. He became a free agent following the 2009-2010 season, but it was unclear of the Cavaliers' plans for him at the time of 'The Decision.'
Since 'The Decision': O'Neal had trouble finding takers the free agent market and eventually settled on Boston. He played in just 37 games for the Celtics and saw action in only two playoff games. He announced his retirement on Twitter following the season.
Antawn Jamison
Then: The Cavaliers acquired Antawn Jamison late in the 2009-2010 season hoping he would be the missing piece to their championship puzzle. Jamison immediately went in to the starting lineup, but struggled defensively against Kevin Garnett in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Since 'The Decision': Jamison went from eyeing his first title to being a big contract on a bad team. Now entering the final year of his contract, a player who didn't even win a game in the second round of the playoffs until 2010 could end up with yet another team - if there is a next season - or retired without a ring.
Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Then: A fan favorite, Ilgauskas was dealt to Washington as part of the Antawn Jamison deal. He returned to the Cavaliers after being waived, but there was little playing time available for him in the postseason.
Since 'The Decision': Ilgauskas, a free agent in the summer of 2010, followed LeBron James to Miami in hopes of winning a championship. He became Miami's starting center on November 13th before relinquishing the role in February. He actually returned to the starting lineup for the Heat's first 8 playoff games, but by the time the Finals rolled around, Ilgauskas watched games in street clothes. He recently exercised his 2011-2012 option to stay with the Heat.
The Fans
Then: After getting their hearts torn out in front of national TV, many Cavaliers fans went to the streets, burning LeBron jerseys or making obscene gestures in front of the 'Witness' billboard outside The Q. cleveland.com readers ripped LeBron in its comments section, lifting the site to its best day ever with over 3.8 million page views.
Since 'The Decision': Despite a 12-29 record at home this past season, Cavaliers fans packed The Q with an average attendance of 20,112 (98% capacity), third best in the league. Fans booed James mercilessly in his return on Dec. 2.
cleveland.com readers continue to be interested in stories about LeBron James, despite some comments asking us to quit posting news about him. Once again, cleveland.com's biggest traffic day of year was LeBron driven: 1.65 million page views on the day after James and the Heat lost the NBA Finals.