by Nick Castele
Hundreds of thousands of people—perhaps even a million—flooded the streets in downtown Cleveland on Wednesday to celebrate the Cavaliers’ NBA Championship win. LeBron James and the whole team joined in a parade in the hot sun.
So many people packed into downtown that the parade itself could barely move. The procession from Quicken Loans Arena and up East 9th Street took hours, and police urged fans to back up and make room for the team.
At the grassy mall downtown, where the parade ended, people climbed trees, stood on cars and a truck, and sat on friends’ shoulders to get a better view as the Cavaliers took the stage.
And when LeBron James addressed the crowd, thousands of hands raised smart phones into the air to record capture the moment.
“I heard a lot of thank-you-LeBrons today, and you know, thanks for coming home and thanks for keeping your promise,” James said. “But you really should be thanking all the guys up here, to be honest.”
James did just that. One by one he thanked his teammates, praising their abilities, their professionalism, and their hard work.
He said earlier in the season, he told Kyrie Irving, who went on to hit a three-pointer in the last minute of Game Seven, that he could be the best point guard in the league.
“And I know every one of you watched that Finals,” James said. “You all saw what this guy is capable of doing.”
The crowd surrounded the stage on both sides, and James turned around to face fans who had been watching the whole program from behind the stage.
“I’m nothing without y’all. I love all of y’all,” he said, adding, “Let’s get ready for next year.”
