Vince McKee - All In: The Story of LeBron James and the 2016 NBA Champion Cleveland Cavaliers

Copyright 2016 by Vince McKee

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Cover design by Tom Lau

Cover photo credit: AP Images

ISBN: 978-1-68358-074-4

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-68358-075-1

Printed in the United States of America

This book is dedicated to my bean, and my best little buddy, my beautiful daughter and best friend, my daughter, Maggie! You will forever be the best daughter a daddy could ever ask for!

Contents

Acknowledgments

I WOULD LIKE TO THANK Emily, my wife and driving force. Your support and willingness to let me chase this dream have allowed me to reach levels of success I never thought possible. For every feature on ESPN and SLAM Magazine, to every dinner at home with you and the Bean, they all bring me joy. You were with me way back when I mailed out countless query letters for Hero , desperately trying to get my little book filled with dreams picked up.

It has happened, God has blessed our lives with more success and love than I ever thought possible, and I thank you for helping me believe it was possible in the first place. From the floor of Parma Woods apartment stamping countless envelopes to the kitchen table feeding macaroni and cheese to Maggie, you have been there with me every step of the journey and I will always love you for it! May our love forever grow and continue to teach others the values of partnership and that through the power of God all things are possible.

I would like to thank my parents, Don and Maria McKee. You have always been there for me since day one and have always been my biggest supporters. You knew when I was a little boy how badly I wanted to be a writer and how badly I wanted to celebrate a Cleveland championship. Through the struggles of life and the ups and downs, you have never let me stop believing in myself. Can you believe we have gotten this far, can you believe I give speeches at schools and libraries and churches? Can you believe Ive been featured in SLAM Magazine and on ESPN? Its no longer a dream but a reality, and I owe so much of it to you both. Thank you for loving my daughter Maggie the way you do. She is such a good girl, and I cant wait until September 2016, when she becomes a big sister.

Thank you to my cousin James Friguglietti, who has been my guiding light during this incredible five-year journey I have been on. If it werent for your help in the beginning as I wrote Hero , Im not sure I could have ever pulled it off. Maybe someday with your help, I can write your epic story?

Thank you to my brother, Donald, sister-in-law, Abbie, and nephew, Matthew. I miss you guys terribly and look forward to your visits up north. As with Mom and Dad, you saw me when I was lost years ago, but never gave up hope Id get it turned around one day.

Thank you to Ken Carman, Emmett Golden, Nick Camino, Jerry Mires, Bruce Drennan, and Sam Bourquin for having me on your radio shows to promote my books when absolutely no one else would. Thank you to Kenny Roda, not only for the pictures in the book, but also for your friendship over the years. I never thought the guy I would look forward to hearing everyday on the radio would be on speed dial next to Kenny Lofton in my phone. Thank you to West Park UCC for also allowing me to feature my work and supporting me.

Thank you to my late great uncle, Peter DeLuca, for instilling the flame of writing and creating in me as a four-year-old little boy. You, along with my Uncle Jimmy, were always my toughest critics but also men of honor and inspiration who never let me give up. Youre never far away from me in heart and soul when I write.

Last, but certainly not least, thank you to my lord and savior Jesus Christ. It is through your light that all work is done.

Prologue: Six Days Later

June 25, 2016

I T HAS BEEN SIX DAYS and nights since the Cavaliers shocked the world and won the NBA Finals on Sunday night, June 19. It was Fathers Day, and the Cavaliers gave every father in Northeast Ohio the greatest gift they possibly could. In so many ways it still seems all so surreal, almost as if it were a dream, but it wasnt and the joy is real, very real!

The Cavaliers ended Clevelands fifty-two-year drought without a championship on the heels of one of the most dramatic and controversial seasons ever. They ran though the playoffs, losing only twice in the first three rounds, before dropping three of their first four games against 73-win Golden State before finally catching fire and destiny. The Cavaliers played as if they had nothing to lose, and there was no stopping them as they found their stride and confidence over the final three games of the finals.

So here we are, six days later, and I couldnt be more proud of this great city we call home on the shores of Lake Erie. We have survived every kind of sports pain one could imagine, but it was all worth it, all a part of our destiny. We had LeBron James, basketballs best player, join our team straight from high school, a hometown boy who was seen as the savior. He broke our hearts by leaving us in July of 2010. But in many ways, that may have just been the greatest thing ever to happen to Cleveland sports.

By James leaving, it allowed the Cavaliers to draft first only one year later. That draft pick was Kyrie Irving, the same man who hit the championship-winning shot over league MVP Stephen Curry. A few years later when the Cavaliers were still rebuilding, they were blessed to draft first two years in a row, selecting Anthony Bennett and then Andrew Wiggins. Those four years of hell were worth it, as those two draft picks, Bennett and Wiggins, were used as trade bait to acquire Kevin Lovethe same Kevin Love who defended brilliantly against Steph Curry in the waning seconds of Game Seven, not allowing him a clean look at a game-tying three-pointer.

If LeBron James doesnt leave Cleveland, there isnt any Kevin Love to make the stop. If LeBron James doesnt leave Cleveland, there isnt Kyrie Irving to hit the championship-clinching, drought-ending, curse-stomping three-pointer! If LeBron James doesnt leave Cleveland, then there arent 1.3 million people attending an all-day-long championship parade and rally.

You see, Cleveland, a wise man once said, is hell getting to heaven. You have lived it firsthand, and now in a matter of thirty days you have seen a UFC Heavyweight Champion in Stipe Miocic. You have seen an AHL Calder Cup championship team in the Lake Erie Monsters. And now, perhaps the sweetest gift of all from the basketball gods, the Cleveland Cavaliers have won the 2016 NBA championship. Celebrate this championship like you have the last six days for the rest of your life. For this championship isnt just for the players, it is for you, too! It is for every blue-collar worker who goes through forty hours of hell each week to put food on the table for his family. This championship is for every person who ever believed in miracles. This championship is for you!