LeBron James is going back to his original team, the Cleveland Cavaliers. In a surprising move, James informed SI.com on Friday about his big announcement.

"My relationship with Northeast Ohio is bigger than basketball," James told SI.com. "I didn't realize that four years ago. I do now."

Four years ago LeBron left Cleveland by the cloak of night, failing to inform a single member of the organization.

Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert took the ordeal hard and unleashed an angry letter to LeBron, which was recently taken down off the Cavaliers website. Cleveland fans gathered to burn LeBron jerseys in the brutal affair.

"I've met with Dan, face-to-face, man-to-man. We've talked it out," James said. "Everybody makes mistakes. I've made mistakes as well. Who am I to hold a grudge?"

Now all is forgiven, as LeBron returns home.

"Before anyone ever cared where I would play basketball, I was a kid from Northeast Ohio. It's where I walked," James told SI.com. "It's where I ran. It's where I cried. It's where I bled. It holds a special place in my heart. People there have seen me grow up. I sometimes feel like I'm their son. Their passion can be overwhelming. But it drives me. I want to give them hope when I can. I want to inspire them when I can."

There was wide speculation that LeBron would have opted to stay in Miami where the Heat have made four straight NBA Finals appearances.

Miami Heat GM, Pat Riley, made every attempt to secure LeBron, but it seems that James' mind was already made up.

"The hardest thing to leave is what I built with those guys," James said. "I've talked to some of them and will talk to others. Nothing will ever change what we accomplished."

James did not have a face-to-face meeting with the Cavaliers, meaning that there was no convincing done on their part. The trip back to Cleveland is something that James has wanted for a long time.

"I'm not having a press conference or a party," James said. "After this, it's time to get to work."