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LeBron Said He Could Return To Cleveland One Day

CLEVELAND (CBSMiami) – Miami Heat superstar forward LeBron James told the media Thursday that he could possibly play for the Cleveland Cavaliers again before his career is over.

James was answering questions ahead of the Heat's game against the Cavaliers Friday night. LeBron said that if he ever did return he hoped, "the fans would accept me."

"I don't know. I think it would be great," James said. "It would be fun to play in front of these fans again. I had a lot of fun times in my seven years here. You can't predict the future and hopefully I continue to stay healthy. I'm here as a Miami Heat player, and I"m happy where I am now, but I don't rule that out in no sense."

Cue the fear among Miami Heat fans.

LeBron famously left the Cavaliers to join the Heat in 2010 with his The Decision program on ESPN.

James has acknowledged repeatedly that he made a mistake with the way he left but said he has moved on and is enjoying playing for the Miami Heat.

A potential stumbling block for James ever returning to the Cavaliers is the presence of Cavs owner Dan Gilbert.

The Cavs owner was extremely critical of LeBron leaving the Cavs, even though Gilbert never put a team around LeBron that could win a title.

Gilbert wrote a harsh letter to fans after LeBron left guaranteeing the Cavaliers would win a championship before LeBron and the Heat would; a sentiment that could best be described as a pipe dream.

James said he hasn't tried to patch up the relationship with Gilbert but said he could see a time down the road where the two could make up.

"I don't hold grudges," James said. "I hold them a little bit, but I don't hold them that long. He said what he said out of anger and he would probably want to take that back. But I made a mistake, too, and there are some things I would want to take back as well.

Dwyane Wade said of the possibility of LeBron returning to Cleveland, "Anything is possible. Hopefully, I'm retired."

(TM and © Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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