Finally! A decision that received national and international attention that did not come from the White House, Congress, the United Nations or even the European Union. Instead, it was an announcement made at a Boys and Girls Club in Connecticut.

Even before the statement was concluded, folks in Ohio, cried, cursed, booed and burned anything with the number 23 on it. Sportswriters, talking heads of sports and even political analysts dissected and criticized “The Decision.”

WILLIAM GRAY

The announcement, of course, was that LeBron James had decided to accept an offer to play basketball for the Miami Heat, rather than remain with his previous team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, or even accept lucrative offers from other teams across the country.

CHICAGO (AP)—Jesse Jackson criticized Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert on Sunday, saying Gilbert sees LeBron James as a “runaway slave” and that the owner’s comments after the free-agent forward decided to join the Miami Heat put the player in danger.

JESSE JACKSON

Shortly after James announced his decision last week, Gilbert fired off an incendiary letter to Cleveland’s fans, ripping the 25-year-old and promising to deliver a title before James wins one. He called James’ decision “cowardly” and later told The Associated Press he believes James quit during a handful of Cavaliers playoff games.

“He has gotten a free pass,” Gilbert told the AP in a phone interview late July 8. “People have covered up for (James) for way too long. Tonight we saw who he really is.”

Out of the roughly 10 million curious basketball-loving cable viewers that waited weeks to finally see LeBron James announce he would be leaving Cleveland for Miami, one-third were Black viewers. It’s the first time ESPN claimed the No.1 show in Black households that wasn’t a live game.

As if they knew LeBronmania would provide the perfect theme for their new sports-based shows, VH1 scored a success with its two new reality entries, “Ochocinco: The Ultimate Catch” and “The T.O. Show 2.” Both debuted with about a million Black viewers.

MIAMI (AP)—In Chris Bosh, the Miami Heat got a power forward and a power broker.

Sure, Heat president Pat Riley pulled together the deal, Dwyane Wade had a county renamed in his honor and the anticipation of LeBron James’ decision turned into a drama unlike anything the NBA has likely ever seen.

SOUTH BEACH THREE-FOR-ALL—LeBron James (6), Dwyane Wade (3) and Chris Bosh (1) show off their Miami Heat jerseys at American Airlines Arena in Miami, July 9. To the right is Miami Heat owner Micky Arison.

But the first domino that fell into place was Bosh—and if he went elsewhere, the other two stars almost surely would have as well.

It went down like this: Bosh told Wade he wanted to play in Miami, which immediately convinced the 2006 NBA finals MVP to spurn Chicago’s offer and stay with the Heat. About 48 hours later, Wade got a call from James, telling him it’d be a South Beach three-for-all.