About a dozen people stood across the street, pointing and exchanging smiles as the top third of the banner slowly inched into view. Cars slowed to a crawl as drivers twisted their necks to see what everybody on the sidewalk was looking at.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- "It's like watching a live birth: 'We got the head! Here come the shoulders!" ebullient bystanders joked, as the newest LeBron James banner was slowly unfurled from the side of Sherwin-Williams Co.'s world headquarters in Downtown Cleveland on Thursday morning.
About a dozen people stood across the street, pointing and exchanging smiles as the top third of the banner slowly inched into view. The top of James' head appeared at about 10 a.m., two hours into the installation, and his ears came into view about 20 minutes later. Cars slowed to a crawl as they came around the bend, as drivers twisted their necks to see what everybody on the sidewalk was looking at.
"It's a good day for Cleveland," said Lee Jordan, as he strolled by. "LeBron's always been good to Cleveland, always."
The banner, installed to coincide with Thursday's Cleveland Cavaliers' home opener against the New York Knicks, is the first time in four years that James' image has appeared on the side of Sherwin-Williams world headquarters.
A brightly-colored Sherwin-Williams banner was dismantled last week to prep the space for James' larger-than-life, black-and-white image, which Plain Dealer art and architecture critic Steven Litt has called unnecessarily "gloomy, ominous and downbeat."
None of the people from the street watching bore any grudges from James' public departure, announced on national television on July 8, 2010, as "The Decision."
"He did what he had to do. He got his championship rings, and now I'm hoping that he brings that back to Cleveland," said George Carleton of Cleveland.
Jon Airhart of Cleveland, who took the day off of work to be downtown, said: "I think it's a new beginning for Cleveland. We're back. It should be a national holiday."
Melissa O'Rourke, a Warren native who drove in from Pittsburgh, agreed. "It's a pretty big deal for Cleveland. It brings new life back to the city." She said seeing the banner proves to everyone that "it's finally coming true. It's real."
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View full sizeIzetta Grayer says LeBron James has always had Cleveland's back.Izetta Grayer of Cleveland, who said her son Marquez played basketball with LeBron at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, got dressed up for the occasion in a Cavs T-shirt, jacket and flannel pajama pants.
"He didn't turn his back on Cleveland," she said. "To me, this picture shows he's always had Cleveland's back." She compared how she feels about his return to the one-word scripture on her T-shirt: "Restored."
"I'm just glad he's come home. I think everybody feels the same way," said John Adamczak, who drove in from Garfield Heights. "I'm not going to the game tonight, so I figured I needed to be here for this moment," he said, gesturing at the mural. "We just got the Nike sign about 20 minutes ago."
Carleton pointed to the workers scrambling across the platforms swaying in the wind. "I saw they were having some problems on the ends there, trying to get it stretched out," he said.
Retiree Tom Kuskin of Cleveland, wearing a Cavs cap, said, "I just hope they do well tonight [in the home opener]. We need it for the city. It's going to bring a lot of money back to the bars and restaurants, and the city needs it."
Dan Lyons, of North Ridgeville, brought his sons, Daniel, 3, and Dylan, 1, to Quicken Loans Arena in a double stroller. They were all wearing matching knit Cavs caps. "I love it," he said of the banner.
Chris Leverett, who said he flew in from Augusta, Georgia, hoping to score tickets to tonight's game, found himself among friends outside The Q.
"I've been following LeBron since he was 13," he said. "And I can understand why y'all were upset when he left." Leverett said that even though pictures of the finished banner have been widely published, he didn't want to see it anywhere but on that wall, in person, with his own eyes.
How is anyone downtown getting any work done today? The excitement is intoxicating. #CavsOpener
-- Michelle (@Managed_Chaos) October 30, 2014