12 July,2010 09:09 AM IST | | AFP
As Miami fans celebrated the arrival of LeBron James, the image of the two-time NBA Most Valuable Player was being slowly erased in Cleveland.
Workers began taking down the 10-story-tall image of James on a mural in downtown Cleveland on Saturday.
The billboard has long dominated the skyline in the city where James has played all seven of his NBA seasons.
Pedestrians stopped to take pictures as pieces of the massive sign - depicting James with his arms outstretched and head back in his pre-game ritual of tossing up a handful of powder - began to come down.
The process is expected to take several days.
James announced his decision to leave Cleveland on Thursday night, sparking some angry fans to burn his jersey.
Fathead.com, an online retailer owned by Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert dropped the price of its James-themed wall stickers from 99.99 dollars to 17.41 dollars - 1741 being the year that American Revolutionary War traitor Benedict Arnold was born.
Gilbert lashed out Thursday at James' decision to leave his native state, saying in an open letter to fans that they "simply don't deserve this kind of cowardly betrayal".
