Clevelanders celebrate LeBron James' return, Miami owner "shocked"

The burning jerseys and scathing letters have been replaced by tweets of joy in Cleveland.

LeBron James' fans and former haters in Ohio have every reason to rejoice now that four-time NBA MVP has decided to bring his considerable talents back to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

"I never thought it would happen ... ," law student Larry Boothe said. "I never thought it would be a reality."

Boothe, 25, had just picked up a six-pack of beer and was headed back to the law office where he's working this summer to celebrate with his co-workers.

"The bosses said go for it," an elated Boothe said.

Anticipation had been high Friday as the prized free agent pondered whether to leave the Miami Heat, where he won two league titles, to return to Cleveland, where he started his pro career with the Cavaliers.

James told Sports Illustrated on Friday that he has decided to go home.

Fans can now forget the "The Decision" James made on television in 2010, when he announced he was leaving Cleveland for Miami.

It is a stunning development four years after James was called disloyal, a narcissist, a coward and a quitter - and that was all by Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, who wrote that infamous letter blasting James for choosing Miami.

Now Gilbert was among several notable Cleveland figures who took to Twitter to celebrate James' return:

Cavs players also tweeted their excitement:

Quarterback Johnny Manziel, a friend of LeBron's who will also be playing in Cleveland next year, had this to say:

Even the city's baseball team chimed in:

Clevelanders see a James homecoming as another harbinger that the oft-maligned and hard-working city is finally getting what it deserves.

Jessica Spachner sat at an outdoor restaurant table in Cleveland's Warehouse District and smiled at the news of James' return. She said she and others can now forgive him for announcing on national television in 2010 that he was leaving the Cavaliers for Miami, where he helped the Heat win two championships in his four years there.

"People forgive pretty quickly," the 27-year-old Spachner said.

The phone number for the Cavaliers' ticket office boasted of James' return in a recorded message but noted that single-game tickets aren't yet available, and the extension for season ticket inquiries rang busy Friday afternoon.

For Miami, it's the end of a championship run. Heat owner and managing general partner Micky Arison wrote on Twitter: