Cleveland had LeBron James as player.
2003 NBA draft . LeBron James , who was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003 , left for the Miami Heat in 2010 , but re-signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers on July 11 , 2014 . LeBron Raymone James ( [ ləˈbrɒn ] born December 30 , 1984 ) is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) . James led Cleveland to the franchise 's first Finals appearance in 2007 , ultimately losing to the San Antonio Spurs . Behind his leadership , Cleveland immediately advanced to two consecutive Finals against the Golden State Warriors , winning the championship in 2016 to end Cleveland 's fifty-two year professional sports title drought .