8 of the Dumbest Things That LeBron James Haters Have Said

2. “He’s making a mistake returning to Cleveland.”

Those immortal words were uttered by Miami Heat president Pat Riley after James announced his departure in July 2014. Such sour grapes were created by the fact that Riley was under the belief that his mere presence was why other players like Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, Patrick Ewing, Shaquille O’Neal and Dwyane Wade thrived.

That “mistake” has resulted in two consecutive appearances in the finals and one title for the Cavaliers. Meanwhile, Riley currently finds himself having come up short in the Kevin Durant sweepstakes and the Heat face an uncertain season due to the departure of Wade and the uncertain status of Chris Bosh.