It had been a long time coming
On Wednesday, a crowd estimated to total up to 1.3m, swept into the centre of Cleveland to mark an historic sporting victory, more than half-a-century in the making.
Fans of the Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team, young and old alike, turned out to celebrate their teams first win in the National Basketball Association (NBA) finals for 52 years Their victory over Golden State brought out fans, who jammed the streets as the so-called "Cavs Parade" made its way through the streets of the city.
Some of the people who turned out to see LeBron James and his Cavaliers' team-mates, arrived on Tuesday night to camp on the pavement to ensure they received the best view.
Cleveland is certainly in need of something to cheer about; the Ohio city, which has seen its population decrease with one of the worst poverty ratings in the country, has seen a a monumental decline following the relocation of tax-based businesses in the area.
Now, successfully fulfilling the prodigal son trope, Akron native James and his band of teammates kept their promise to fans by bringing the NBA’s Larry O’Bryan Championship Trophy to northeast Ohio.
“Just knowing what our city has been through, northeast Ohio has been through, as far as our sports and everything for the last 50-plus years,” James said on Saturday.
“You could look back to the Earnest Byner fumble, Elway going 99 yards, to Jose Mesa not being able to close out in the bottom of the ninth to the Cavs went to the finals - I was on that team - in 2007, us getting swept, and then last year us losing 4-2, and so many more stories.”
James also took time to pay tribute to the fans who had shown such loyalty.
“And our fans, they ride or die, no matter what's been going on, no matter the Browns, the Indians, the Cavs and so on, and all other sports teams,” he added.
“They continue to support us. And for us to be able to end this, end this drought, our fans deserve it.”
The parade, with James and Kyrie Irving riding in style in Rolls-Royces, began outside the Quicken Loans Arena before heading up East Ninth Street and to Mall B. It featured 60 floats, began with a truck spraying confetti into the crowd and was followed by Ohio State coaches Urban Meyer and Thad Matta and the Buckeyes’ marching band, according to the Associated Press.
Fans stood on rooftops and portable toilets, and hung out of office building windows hoping to get a glimpse of James, who rode in the Rolls-Royce convertible with his wife, Savannah, and their three children.
Near the start of the route and just feet from where his iconic, 10-stories-tall banner hangs, James, wearing a gold cap and chomping on a cigar, stood and posed with his arms outstretched just as he does on the giant mural.
James, 31, played his first seven professional seasons in Cleveland after being selected by the Cavaliers in the 2003 NBA draft. He then angered the city by leaving in free agency for the Miami Heat in 2010.
He won two championships in his four seasons with the Heat before returning to Cleveland in 2014. Two seasons later, he delivered on his promise to bring a title to Northeast Ohio, and by doing so her further underscored his attachment to the city, and the attachment of its sports fans to him.
