Not in Cleveland

It was always too good to be true: LeBron James had grown up in the nearby city of Akron, and when he entered the draft, the hometown Cleveland Cavs had miraculously won a lottery for the first pick. With LeBron helming the team, things started to turn around for the Cavs. By the 2010 playoffs, it looked as if he might even make the Cavs the first Cleveland sports team to win a ring since the 1964 Browns. But the Cavs fell apart in the semifinals, with LeBron faltering as lurid rumors circulated, and the team bowed out to the Celtics. Two months later, on July 8, King James announced he would not re-sign with the Cavs—proving it really was too good to be true.