Hell hath no fury like a city scorned by LeBron James.
Cleveland howled, raged and moaned yesterday over the defection of the NBA megastar from the hometown Cavaliers to the Miami Heat.
“LeQuit. LeTraitor. So much for your legacy and loyalty, you creep,” wrote an online poster using the handle “lovemycavs” on the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Web site.
POLL: HOW MAD ARE YOU AT LEBRON?
Another Cavaliers fan on the team’s own site railed, “We gave him the keys to the city, and he traded them for the opportunity to carry Dwyane Wade’s jockstrap in Miami. The former king of Cleveland is now Dwyane Wade’s queen . . . LeBron, thanks for nothing.”
The Plain Dealer itself snidely marked James’ abandonment of the city with a front page featuring a photo of the 25-year-old star literally walking away under the headline: “Gone.”
On the same page, in small type next to his right hand, is the sharp jab: “7 years in Cleveland. No rings.”
The Cavaliers — whose owner, Dan Gilbert, published an unhinged, high-school-girl-like rant about James after his decision to bolt Thursday night — wasted no time yanking LeBron jerseys from the team’s online stores. A Cavaliers source told TMZ.com that leftover jerseys are likely to end up dumped at discount retailers, “somewhere like T.J. Maxx.”
The mood was decidedly sunnier in Miami, where the Heat was already hawking James jerseys on the team’s site, and where delighted fans were hollering that multiple NBA titles are in the bag now that LeBron has joined Wade and Chris Bosh to form a new Dream Team.
“Size up the rings,” bragged Miami Herald columnist Michael Wallace, whose colleague Greg Cote chimed in, “We are the kingdom. Miami is the capital of basketball. South Florida is the epicenter of American sports.”
One Heat fan confidently wrote on the team Web site, “Let the dynasty begin,” while another crowed, “The three of you will own the league for a decade!”
A small crowd of Heat supporters was waiting for James when he arrived at the W Hotel in Miami at 3:15 a.m. yesterday.
Appearing sleepy and stone-faced, James couldn’t be bothered to crack a smile or even wave as the fans cheered, “Welcome to Miami!”
Additional reporting by Ana Maria Alaya in Miami