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The city of Cleveland turned its back Friday on native son Le-Bron James, dismissing the one-time hero as a backstabber who betrayed his fans and slam-dunked the local economy.
"This city will never forgive him," said Reginald Eberhart, 50, after offering his once-beloved Cavaliers' No. 23 jersey for use as toilet paper. "LeBron James is the devil."
James, once the city's savior, instantly became its most reviled sports figure since Browns owner Art Modell moved the team to Baltimore in 1996.
"He's not a man," ranted Ron Moreland, 25. "He's not a king. His only kingdom will be in hell."
Collin Czarnecki, 25, said he was looking forward to James' return to the Quicken Loans Arena as an opponent - but he wasn't planning to cheer.
"I will pay a million dollars to sit courtside and storm his a-- when that coward comes to town," the Cleveland man said.
James' departure is a multimillion-dollar blow to local businesses, from restaurants to bars to sporting goods stores.
"A large chunk of this city depends on tourists from out of town coming to see LeBron James," said Nick Vroutos, owner of Nick's Sports Corner bar. "Those people are going to stop coming."
Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, in another shot at James, slashed the price on life-sized "Fathead" wall stickers of the King from $99 to $17.41 - the year of Benedict Arnold's birth.
James' decision was bad for shares of stock in Madison Square Garden Inc., which dropped nearly 4% yesterday as the Knicks licked the wounds inflicted by LeBron.
The roundballer's decision even caused indigestion at midtown's Carnegie Deli. The famed eatery pulled its 5-pound "Le-Bron MVP" sandwich from the menu within minutes of James' defection.
"They should change it to a chicken sandwich," railed customer Todd Cling, 42, a Manhattan financial adviser.
"This city will never forgive him," said Reginald Eberhart, 50, after offering his once-beloved Cavaliers' No. 23 jersey for use as toilet paper. "LeBron James is the devil."
James, once the city's savior, instantly became its most reviled sports figure since Browns owner Art Modell moved the team to Baltimore in 1996.
"He's not a man," ranted Ron Moreland, 25. "He's not a king. His only kingdom will be in hell."
Collin Czarnecki, 25, said he was looking forward to James' return to the Quicken Loans Arena as an opponent - but he wasn't planning to cheer.
"I will pay a million dollars to sit courtside and storm his a-- when that coward comes to town," the Cleveland man said.
James' departure is a multimillion-dollar blow to local businesses, from restaurants to bars to sporting goods stores.
"A large chunk of this city depends on tourists from out of town coming to see LeBron James," said Nick Vroutos, owner of Nick's Sports Corner bar. "Those people are going to stop coming."
Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, in another shot at James, slashed the price on life-sized "Fathead" wall stickers of the King from $99 to $17.41 - the year of Benedict Arnold's birth.
James' decision was bad for shares of stock in Madison Square Garden Inc., which dropped nearly 4% yesterday as the Knicks licked the wounds inflicted by LeBron.
The roundballer's decision even caused indigestion at midtown's Carnegie Deli. The famed eatery pulled its 5-pound "Le-Bron MVP" sandwich from the menu within minutes of James' defection.
"They should change it to a chicken sandwich," railed customer Todd Cling, 42, a Manhattan financial adviser.
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