Transcript: LeBron James Talks to 'Good Morning America'

July 9, 2010— -- NBA superstar LeBron James sat down with "Good Morning America" anchor Robin Roberts shortly after announcing his long-awaited decision to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat. The following transcript of their interview has been edited for clarity.

ROBIN ROBERTS: You take a big breath now?

LEBRON JAMES: Yeah, absolutely

ROBERTS: Are you relieved that the decision has been made public?

JAMES: I am relieved. But this is everything that I envisioned-- and not (unintelligible) destination where I'm headed, which is Miami, but the whole process.

The whole process has been very humbling. You know, the fans that I have across the world has -- has given me support throughout this whole thing and my friends and family. It's been everything I expected.

ROBERTS: When you say "the process," describe a little bit more to it because a lot of people in all walks of life that have that tough decision they have to make in their lives, how did you go about making it for yourself?

JAMES: Well, you start with hearing everyone -- and hearing the six teams that I had. I had the Clippers and the Bulls, the Knicks, the Nets, the Heat, and the Cavs.

And I wanted to hear what they had to say on how they envisioned myself being a part of their franchise. But the process also came down to me sitting down with my friends and my family and saying, you know, the pros versus the cons and, you know, this city versus that city or whatever the case may be.

ROBERTS: You pulled up a sheet and did the old pros and cons thing?

JAMES: (Laughs) Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Tore the paper in half.

But ultimately, the decision had to come from me. No matter what I was hearing and no matter what type of advice I was getting-- a lot of my friends and family came to the conclusion that, "No matter what we tell you, you have to ultimately make the decision because you are -- we want you to be happy."

ROBERTS: So were they all on the same page?

JAMES: All on the same page. There was a few that may wanted me to stay in Cleveland. They wanted me to go to Chicago and, you know, wanted me to go to Miami. But the consensus of all my friends and family was do what's best for you.

ROBERTS: They wanted you to be happy ultimately.

JAMES: Absolutely

ROBERTS: You said you were-- you were tossing and turning last night a little bit?

JAMES: Absolutely

ROBERTS: And you weren't quite sure until this morning?

JAMES: This morning.

ROBERTS: So what was it about when you woke up this morning and you made that decision? What was it? What was the defining moment for you?

JAMES: The defining moment-- it was two. The fact of the franchise being stable, the fact that the players that they have and to be able to be alongside greatness raises your level. And being down there with I'm meaning Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade.

And then, secondly, like I keep stressing-- the fact of me being happy in this situation. And I'm feeling real comfortable.

And then the icing on the cake was when I talked to my mother. When I talked to my mother, she said, "You're making the right choice because I know you are."

And I'm looking forward to this new challenge. And she can't wait for it to happen. She was just so excited. It was almost like I didn't know that she was gonna be this excited because Ohio is all we know.

I mean, we've lived there our whole life. But she was so excited to hear about change. And that was the icing on the cake for me.