LeBron Talks Forgiving and Forgetting, Making Mistakes, and Not Holding Grudges. Read This

Remember how, just hours before LeBron announced he would be returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers, there was an ESPN report about the best player in the NBA still being angry with Cavs owner Dan Gilbert? It smelled dubious at the time, as if the writer and his source were guessing. Hours later, that was evident.

LeBron hasn’t talked much about forgiving and forgetting the venomous letter Gilbert penned after The Decision, but he did Wednesday before a preseason game, and it’s something that everyone should read.

"“How did I forgive? I’m a man,” James said. “Men, we all make mistakes.” “As a man, if you got a problem with somebody, you sit down face to face and you talk to them eye to eye. And you hash it out and move on,” James said. “So, I think a lot of things that go on in life or in sports with people kind of holding grudges is because they’re afraid to actually take a step forward. It’s a fine line between pride and progress, and I’m on the progress side. I’m not on the pride side.”"

Of course, one could say, “but LeBron and Chris Bosh didn’t talk at Wade’s wedding!”

See, that’s different. There’s no beef there. That was just awkward, given the circumstances of the two joining forces in Miami, and then LeBron leaving after four years. Had LeBron been at a function with Dan Gilbert a month after The Letter, there’s no way they would have spoken. Sometimes, you need time.

Real men don’t hold grudges.

Real men admit they’ve made mistakes.

Real men sit down and talk to people when there’s beef.

Can you see why it’s so easy to root for LeBron?