Lebron James, the icon of the NBA, has returned to Cleveland to claim a title in the place where it all began for him. He is the King of Cleveland and will stop at nothing to once again bring his team to the top of the world; only this time, he is doing it less than 45 minutes away from his humble beginnings in Akron, Ohio.

Cleveland has always had a special place in Lebron James’s heart, as the team that selected him first overall straight out of high school, as the city that first adopted the nickname King James, and as the region whose heart he broke when he made “The Decision” to leave in 2010. Growing up, Cleveland and Lebron had as unsteady of a relationship as they did in 2010. He hardly adored the nearby city telling GQ Magazine, “It’s not far, but it is far. And Clevelanders, because they were the bigger-city kids when we were growing up, looked down on us…. So we didn’t actually like Cleveland. We hated Cleveland growing up. There’s a lot of people in Cleveland we still hate to this day”.

Cleveland was a symbol of what he was not when he was younger. People in Cleveland saw Akron as the ugly stepsister to their beloved city. Lebron’s childhood was far from a cake walk; he was raised by a single mother, and his easiest way out would be by way of his superhuman athletic ability. When Lebron was nine, his mom decided he would be better suited to live with his basketball coach because of her inability to keep a stable and effective job.

Lebron’s relationship with Cleveland has been a roller coaster ride, the lowest point being when he decided to“take his talents to South Beach and join the Miami Heat”(James in 2010). Perhaps over-committed fans were seen burning jerseys, spray painting billboards, and making death threats in the coming weeks, but at least they proved their loyalty to Cleveland in this instance. James received a lot of criticism for making an event of his decision, many deeming it arrogant and completely unnecessary. Despite this harsh falling out, this summer, the King reclaimed his throne in the city of Cleveland, this time determined to win a championship for the city he once abandoned.

After two championships in four years during his stay in Miami, James refuses to settle until he brings a championship to Cleveland, a city that cares way too much about winning the title. All hard feelings were forgotten this June when he announced his return and he was welcomed with open arms on October 30th in his first game back, when he faced the New York Knicks in a game the Cavs lost. The season has been as up and down as a season can be; the Cavaliers went into a downward spiral in late December falling to a 19 and 20 record before turning it around and winning 12 straight. This time around, Cleveland has shown more patience for Lebron – they know it is a long season and fans have thought twice about turning on him before the year is over. Not to mention The King has a player option at the end of the year, leaving him the ability to opt out if his return is not as favorable as he expected.

His nickname “The King” was first given because of his dominance on the court – he rolled into opposing arenas and conquered. Since then, the nickname has proven accurate in other regards. No player has as much power as Lebron James does; he is the Vice-President of the Players Union and chose the power of a player option over money in both of his past two contracts.

The King of the NBA is back in city he has had a complicated, yet intimate relationship with, and he wants nothing more than to conquer the NBA once more, this time basing his attacks out of Cleveland. Lebron’s future will be interesting to watch, and there is no telling what will happen if he chooses to abandon Cleveland again if this season does not go as expected.