LeBron James' Return To Cleveland Cavaliers Truly Is Bigger Than Basketball: What Will It Do For The City?

LeBron James rejoining the Cleveland Cavaliers is big news, we know that it will rock the NBA, but just how important is it to Cleveland, their people and the city's finances? It's fair to say Cleveland isn't the most attractive city in America, some would even say it's like the last slice of pizza in the box, it's only good if it's you're only option. However, the city is on the up, and the likes of Johnny Manziel, Andrew Wiggins and now LeBron are set to change things around, with them hoping to make the city the place to be. LeBron himself said his return is "bigger than basketball", but perhaps even he doesn't know the magnitude his return truly holds over his city.

LeBron has taken the Cavaliers from a team climbing towards the playoffs and turned them in to a NBA championship contender overnight, that much is a certainty. He has also brought hope back to the city. With Manziel and Wiggins in town the city was starting to believe once again, but LeBron has raised that hope to a new level. Once again kids will wear his jersey and idolize their hero, which can only be good for the city. Also, there's the financial side, of course.

In January the Cavaliers were valued at around $500 million by Forbes, but LeBron's return has them now worth over one billion dollars. Not bad for one transaction, right? The team have already sold their season tickets with ease, and through merchandise and other opportunities, the LeBron-to-Cleveland deal is set to raise millions.

Of course Cleveland may have hope, money and a new superstar, and even NBA championship aspirations, but this move has truly reunited a struggling city, and from here, the ripple effect will see the city of Cleveland become the place to be over the next four years.