LeBron James was drafted as the number one overall pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2003 NBA draft. The Cavalier fans were excited that they would be receiving one of the top players entering the NBA at the time. Not only was he from Ohio, but fans felt like if anyone was going to bring the Cavaliers a championship, it would be LeBron. According to the NBA, LeBron stayed with the Cavaliers from 2003-2010. He unfortunately was unable to bring home any titles, so in 2010 he announced that he would be leaving and heading to the Miami Heat. ESPN reported that many of his fans were left feeling betrayed and angered after hi very public announcement. According to the Bleacher Report, LeBron had left due to the pressure of being asked to basically carry the team and a previous agreement he had made with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh to team up.
After winning two NBA championships with the Heat, LeBron made the shocking announcement of his return back to Cleveland. The attendance data showed an increase in the total attendance of the Cavalier home games during LeBron first season back. He stayed with the Cavaliers from 2014-2018, which is why the attendance seemed to stay consistent over those years. He also won the NBA championship in 2016, against the Golden State Warriors. In the 2018-2019 season, LeBron announced that he would be leaving the Cavaliers once again to join the Los Angeles Lakers. LeBron’s departure caused the number up attendees’ do drop below what it had been previous years. It appeared as if LeBron was the main driving force behind the Cavaliers total attendance while he was a part of that organization.
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