CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cold War between LeBron James and Dan Gilbert after James took his talents to South Beach is well known after Gilbert aired his grievances with James in a harshly written letter in comic sans shortly after the announcement on ESPN.
Tuesday morning, for whatever reason, former Cavaliers guard Baron Davis peeled back the curtain and shed more light on just how frigid things were between Gilbert and James.
The Cavs acquired Davis from the Los Angeles Clippers, along with an unprotected 2011 first round pick that turned into the No. 1 selection and allowed Cleveland to select Kyrie Irving, for Mo Williams and Jamario Moon.
Davis was hoping for a buyout following the trade, but that never materialized.
He was eventually waived in December 2011 by the Cavs, who used the amnesty clause to prevent Davis’ hefty contract from counting against the team’s salary cap.
Davis ultimately signed with the Knicks over the Lakers and Heat where he suffered a torn ACL, MCL and partially torn patellar tendon that ultimately ended his career.
It took two seasons, but James won a pair of championships with the Heat and made four consecutive trips to the NBA Finals before and he Gilbert set side their animosity, which paved the way for James to return in 2014.
James led the Cavaliers to four straight Finals and an NBA championship in 2016. He joined the Los Angeles Lakers in the summer of 2018 and won his fourth NBA championship in 2020.