Despite National Basketball Association (NBA) star Lebron James homecoming loss to Miami, he was greeted by cheers, standing ovations, and a hug from his former teammate Dwyane Wade after the Heat beat the Cleveland Cavaliers, 101-91.

James was the first player introduced by the Miami P.A. announcer. While people might think that his move back to Cleveland would leave the fans with a sour taste, a majority of the crowd had nothing but praise for the four-time Most Valuable Player (MVP).

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However, the crowd wasn't behind James the whole way, after all he was playing against their home team.

When the game began, every time James got his hands on the ball, the crowd would shower boos from the stands.

With 5:44 remaining in the first quarter though, a tribute video was shown during a timeout which elicited yet more cheers from the crowd. It showcases James' four years with the Heat and showed clips of interview antics with past teammates and other moments.

Needless to say, the fans back in Miami were quite torn on the matter of losing a player who helped them win two championships. In a losing effort, James led his team with 30 points, 4 rebounds, and 8 assists.

Wade scored 24 of his 31 total points in the first half alone. Coupled with the 25 points and defensive efforts against James that Luol Deng contributed, the Christmas matchup ended in the favour of the Heat.

Kyrie Irving scored 25, Kevin Love got 14 for the Cavaliers.

After the loss, James expounded on his continuing good relationship with Wade. He said that, as players in the National Basketball Association (NBA), they only play the game for so long.

"You've still got life afterward. For us we're going to compete, we're going to go about our business and do what we need to do in our profession. You'll never let friendship come in between that," James said.

TagsLebron James, Dwyane Wade, cleveland cavaliers