Lebron James will relocate to South Beach

The self-styled "King of Akron" Ohio has made a decision that rocked his home state.

Lebron James will leave the Cleveland Cavaliers after seven seasons, choosing to sign a contract with the Miami Heat. James announced on his own ESPN special that he will make the move to South Beach and join two other recent Miami signings, Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade, in the hopes of winning his first NBA championship.

"The things that the Miami Heat franchise have done, to free up cap space and be able to put themselves in a position this summer to have all three of us, it was hard to turn down," James told ESPN's Jim Gray.

Cavalier officials, and seemingly the entire state of Ohio, had made desperate pleas that their hometown superstar re-sign with the team. But James chose instead to join Wade and Bosh, who were his teammates on the 2008 gold-medal winning U.S. Olympic basketball team.

Expected to make as much as $17 million a year, James can certainly afford the cost of living in Miami, which is 3.2 percent lower than the national average, according to Sperling's Best Places.

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