Lebron James takes his throne at the head of the Cavaliers’ victory parade
Lebron James takes his throne at the head of the Cavaliers’ victory parade
For Cleveland, the 52-year wait for a trophy is over.
LeBron James and the victorious Cleveland Cavaliers took to the streets of the city, to celebrate their first major sports championship since 1964.
Jubilant fans packed downtown on Wednesday as the city gave a hero’s welcome to NBA superstar James and his Cavaliers team-mates.
Hundreds of thousands of revellers cheered their team after it pulled off the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history to dethrone the Golden State Warriors on Sunday.
‘The strength and determination displayed throughout the season, post-season, and championship game are truly the embodiment of our city and its people,’ Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson said in a statement.
The championship victory ends a decades-long sports drought for the Ohio city, where downtown streets were packed with cheering crowds hours before the parade was scheduled to begin.
The city’s hotels were fully booked, with people lining up on the streets for the best spots from 1am local time.
The parade and rally cap a celebration that began the moment the game ended on Sunday night.
The final buzzer had barely sounded when fans rushed to street corners, dancing and cheering. Cars rolled up and down streets, blaring their horns.
On Monday, 20,000 supporters greeted the team when they arrived from California, where the final game was played.
LeBron James ensured his place among the NBA’s all-time legends with his virtuoso performance.
The 31-year-old forward scored 27 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and passed out 11 assists to power Cleveland’s 93-89 victory over defending champion Golden State in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
Cleveland’s public transit system announced early in the morning that all of its parking lots – which were offered for free to parade goers – were full as fans descended on the city.
The huge crowds were affecting normal business with two live theatre productions forced to reschedule performances while the Cleveland Municipal Court said some cases will be automatically rescheduled if people involved in hearings were unable to appear.
The Cavaliers’ victory broke a drought that had lasted since 1964, when the Cleveland Browns won the National Football League championship. Despite being represented in three major sports – baseball, basketball and football – a Cleveland franchise has not come home with a season-ending trophy since then.
