LeBron James Ad Thanks Akron, Ignores Cleveland

LeBron James has taken an indirect swipe at his former city once again.

The ex-Cavaliers player has taken out a full-page ad in the Akron Beacon Journal, his hometown newspaper, where he thanks the people there for supporting him.

Nowhere in the ad does LeBron mention the city of Cleveland, where he played for the last seven years with the Cavs.

James left the Cavs for the Miami Heat in July, joining his Olympic teammates Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

The move was met with outrage, both from fans and from team owner Dan Gilbert, who wrote an angry letter to James following his decision to leave the team. Gilbert’s letter was, in turn, met with criticism from the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who claimed that the Cavs’ owner saw LeBron as a “runaway slave” and that the comments the owner made in the letter put the NBA superstar in danger.

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In James’ advertisement, he thanks the people of Akron for their love and support. He states that the city is him home and that he will always come back.

“It was here where I first learned how to play basketball, and where I met the people who would become my lifelong friends and mentors. Their guidance, encouragement and support will always be with me,” the ad states.

“Akron is my home, and the central focus of my life. It’s where I started, and it’s where I will always come back to. You can be sure that I will continue to do everything I can for this city, which is so important to my family and me. Thank you for your love and support. You mean everything to me.”