For a long time, the idea of LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers getting back together seemed as far-fetched as ideas can possibly be.
There was just no way LeBron would be able to forgive and forget all that had happened between the two sides, not after owner Dan Gilbert's scathing letter labeling the former star as a "coward". But things change. Time, as it has been known to do, began to heal the wounds.
And so Gilbert found himself in Miami on Sunday, sitting down with James and his inner-circle, discussing a way for both sides to figure out a way to make it work.
First, it was time for apologies.
"We had five great years together and one terrible night," Gilbert told James, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. "I told him how sorry I was, expressed regret for how that night went and how I let all the emotion and passion for situation carry me away. I told him I wish had never done it, that I wish I could take it back... I told LeBron, 'That letter didn't hurt anybody more than it hurt me.'"
Gilbert apologized, and so did James. His regrets over 'The Decision' matched Gilbert's regret for 'The Letter'. Both sides had their faults and had made mistakes, and the time had come to move on,
With the apologies out of the way it was time to turn to business. The two sides began hammering out how to bring James back to Ohio. Gilbert, through Wojnarowski, was effusive in his praise of James and his advisors.
"It was more comfortable than I actually thought it would be," Gilbert told Yahoo Sports. "They made it easy for me."
Less than a week later, Gilbert's phone rang. It was James' agent Rich Paul, and he had a simple message.
"Dan, congratulations. LeBron's coming home."
