LeBron James’ time with the Miami Heat was historic. You could argue that it was James’ start of being at his prime. He played four seasons with the Miami Heat and won two back-to-back championships with the franchise. He undoubtedly had help from Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, but James was arguably the best out of the Miami Heat’s Big Three’. 

However, when James decided to leave the Miami Heat to go back to Cleveland, Heat president Pat Riley was not happy. And he has not hidden that fact either. Riley once described the call he got from James in 2014 when he was informed that ‘The King’ was leaving.

The relationship between LeBron James and Pat Riley

Riley said, “I was silent. I didn’t say anything. My mind began to just go. And it was over. I was very angry when LeBron left. It was personal for me. It just was.” But before Riley formed a beef with James, he showered ‘King James’ with huge praise. 

This is when the Miami Heat faced the Boston Celtics in the Conference Finals during the 2011-12 NBA playoffs. James had a mammoth game, scoring 45 points and grabbing 15 rebounds in Game 6.

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LeBron James’ Justified Response to Pat Riley’s Low-Balling Offer That Became the Final Nail in Miami’s Superteam Coffin

The Heat took down the Celtics 98-79 in that game. And Pat Riley stood in the tunnel between the locker room and the court and asked James, “How is the Boat doing today?” before the game started. 

Riley explained that ‘Boat’ is the acronym for ‘Best Of All Time.’ Riley was all praise for LeBron James after the game as well. He said, “He was primal. He was a cobra, a leopard, a tiger hunched over his kill.”

And rightfully so. James had just put on a spectacular performance in the TD Garden, sucking the life out of the crowd. But as they say, all good things must come to an end. And that is exactly what happened in Miami.

Why did James leave Miami?

James’ departure from Miami was due to a contract dispute. The Miami Heat front office did not see LeBron James as a max-contract player. And they ended up offering a contract to James that did not sit well with him. 

Pat Riley told in 2015, “What James had here, and what he had developed here, and what he could have developed over the next five or six years here, with the same team, could have been historic.”

Would LeBron James have won more titles if he would’ve chosen to stay in Miami? Or would any other team manage to take them down? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.