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CLEVELAND (AP) — If LeBron James was going to win another NBA title, heal broken hearts and continue building his legacy, he knew there was only one place to go.

To Ohio. Home.

Four years after he left for Miami, a widely criticized departure that damaged his image and crushed a long-suffering city's championship hopes, James is coming back to play for the Cavaliers to try and end Cleveland's half-century title drought. He's returning to his basketball roots, to the people who know him best to make good on a promise.

The talented kid from Akron, now a homecoming king.

James made the announcement Friday with a powerful essay written for Sports Illustrated. His decision ended two weeks of speculation about his future with teams across the league waiting on his move.

In the end, he chose Cleveland over re-signing with the Heat.

"I looked at other teams, but I wasn't going to leave Miami for anywhere except Cleveland," he said to SI. "The more time passed, the more it felt right. This is what makes me happy."

James had not yet signed a contract, but he made it clear he will wear a Cavaliers jersey next season.

"When I left Cleveland, I was on a mission," James said in the SI first-person story. "I was seeking championships, and we won two. But Miami already knew that feeling. Our city hasn't had that feeling in a long, long, long time. My goal is still to win as many titles as possible, no question. But what's most important for me is bringing one trophy back to Northeast Ohio."

James is the league's best all-around player, a four-time MVP who was dubbed "The Chosen One" as a can't-miss high school star. At 6-foot-8, 260 pounds, he can score from all over and is one of the game's best passers and defenders.

Staying in Miami would have been easy. He could have made another run at a third title and fifth straight NBA finals appearance with the Heat and close friends Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, the other members of a "Big 3" who have been the league's team-to-hate since 2010.

Instead, James picked the young, unproven Cavs, with a rookie coach who spent last year in Israel. Almost unbelievably, he'll again work for owner Dan Gilbert, who torched James on his way out the door in 2010.

For Cleveland, a city accustomed to so much sports heartache — as the Cavaliers, Browns and Indians have come close but failed to win it all — news of James' return triggered a spontaneous downtown celebration during Friday's lunch hours.

Car horns blared and strangers high-fived on the sidewalks outside Quicken Loans Arena, where James had so many big moments during his first seven seasons as a pro.

Four years ago, some fans burned his jersey. On July 11, 2014, all was forgiven.

The Cavs were considered a longshot when free agency opened. But as the days went by, Cleveland improbably emerged as a possible landing spot over Miami. While he was in Las Vegas earlier this week, James met with Heat president Pat Riley, the architect who assembled Miami's back-to-back championship teams.

Riley made a final pitch, but he had nothing to match the overwhelming lure of home.

"Before anyone ever cared where I would play basketball, I was a kid from Northeast Ohio," James told SI. "... People there have seen me grow up. I sometimes feel like I'm their son. Their passion can be overwhelming. But it drives me."

James' exit ends an era in Miami, and will likely lead to Bosh signing elsewhere. The Heat now face an uncertain future after four straight Eastern Conference titles. Wade and Bosh all opted out this summer, as did longtime Heat forward Udonis Haslem.

"I went to Miami because of D-Wade and CB," James told SI. "I believed we could do something magical if we came together. And that's exactly what we did! The hardest thing to leave is what I built with those guys."

James was scorned for turning his back on Cleveland in 2010, announcing his decision on a poorly conceived TV special. His critics said he wasn't good enough to win a championship by himself, and that he needed to surround himself with All-Stars.

James may never surpass Michael Jordan's six titles, but his legacy could be being able to bring one to Cleveland, devoid of a championship in any sport since 1964.

"I'm not promising a championship," he said. "I know how hard that is to deliver. We're not ready right now. No way. Of course, I want to win next year, but I'm realistic."

He's starting fresh with Gilbert, who famously wrote a blistering letter condemning James and calling him disloyal, narcissistic and cowardly.

At some point, the two worked out their differences.

"I've met with Dan, face-to-face, man-to-man," James said. "We've talked it out."

Gilbert, too, has moved on.

"I am excited for the fans and people of Cleveland and Ohio. No fans and people deserve a winner more than them," Gilbert said on Twitter.

Like a kid who spent four years away at college, James is coming back home.

James is more mature for his encore. He's a proven champion, married with two sons and a daughter on the way. They're all coming back to rejoin family and friends.

"I feel my calling here goes above basketball," he said. "I have a responsibility to lead, in more ways than one, and I take that very seriously. My presence can make a difference in Miami, but I think it can mean more where I'm from. In Northeast Ohio, nothing is given. Everything is earned. You work for what you have. I'm ready to accept the challenge."

___

AP Sports Writer Tim Reynolds in Las Vegas contributed to this report.

Ben Watt is a singer and DJ, best known for being in the British pop duo Everything but the Girl. Now, he's back with a new album and a book that gives an inside look at his complicated relationship with his parents.

LOWELL, Mass. (AP) — An intense fire ravaged a three-story apartment building before dawn Thursday, killing four adults and three children, forcing tenants to jump or hand their children to safety, and leading to dramatic rescues from upper floors.

The victims in this former mill city about 25 miles northwest of Boston were all found in units on the top floor of the building, which had a liquor store on the ground floor and apartments on the upper floors, fire officials said. Nine people were hospitalized with injuries not considered life threatening.

The cause of the fire is being investigated. State Fire Marshal Stephen Coan said authorities are looking into witness reports that the blaze was preceded by an explosion that sounded like fireworks.

Randy Perry, who lives in a building next door, said he looked out his window at 4 a.m. and saw people gathered outside the building as it was consumed by flames.

"I was shocked at how fast the fire moved from one end of the building to the other," he said.

Authorities say 48 people lived in the building, which sustained heavy damage. The roof entirely burned away, with the outer walls charred and the siding melted. Firefighters had to evacuate at one point as the roof gave way.

Neighbor Sarin Chun said she awoke to screams and saw someone hand a child out a window to another person on the street.

Witnesses said tenants jumped out of windows. Several people had to be rescued from upper floors.

A police officer on routine patrol was the first to report the fire, while several tenants ran about 100 yards down the street to a fire station to sound the alarm, Fire Chief Edward Pitta said. But the building was fully involved by the time firefighters arrived.

Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said she is "deeply concerned" by reports from witnesses that no fire alarms sounded. The building did not have a sprinkler system but was not required to, Pitta said. It did have an alarm system, and whether that was working will be part of the investigation.

"It's a tragic day for the city of Lowell," Mayor Rodney Elliott said.

The Red Cross is assisting displaced tenants, and the city is accepting donations of clothing and other essentials, Elliott said. A relief fund has been set up at the Jeanne D'Arc Credit Union in the city.

A chaplain for the fire department, Rev. Paul Clifford, said chaplains were offering what comfort they could to people who escaped.

NEW YORK (AP) — The stock market rose slightly Friday but was still headed for its biggest weekly loss since April as investors assessed corporate news. The market ended the previous week at a record high.

KEEPING SCORE: The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose two points, or 0.1 percent, to 1,966 as of 3:10 p.m. Eastern time. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 18 points, also 0.1 percent, to 16,933. The Nasdaq composite gained 15 points, or 0.3 percent, to 4,412.

SALES MISS: Industrial and construction supplies company Fastenal dropped $2.17, or 4.5 percent, to $45.98 after reporting sales that fell short of analyst's expectations. Its revenue climbed 12 percent to $949.9 million, missing the $951 million expected on Wall Street.

WHERE THERE'S SMOKE: Tobacco company Lorillard rose $2.73, or 4.3 percent, to $65.82, after rival Reynolds American confirmed it was in talks with Lorillard and British American Tobacco, its largest shareholder, about an acquisition. Reynolds fell 74 cents, or 1.2 percent, to $61.52. Old Gold and Kent are among Lorillard's brands.

THE EARNINGS TAPE: U.S. companies are starting to report their results for the second quarter, and investors are expecting to see more growth in profits. Earnings for S&P 500 companies are forecast to rise by 6.5 percent compared with the same period a year earlier, according to data from S&P Capital IQ.

THE QUOTE: "The market is looking for signs of strength and certainly earnings are going to figure pretty heavily," said Jim Russell, a regional investment director at US Bank.

JITTERY WEEK: The S&P 500 index is poised for its biggest weekly loss since April after closing out last week at an all-time high. The index has retreated from the record as investors worry stock prices have climbed too high. Worries about the soundness of a Portuguese bank also spooked the market.

The S&P 500 has fallen 1 percent this week, its biggest decline since the week ending April 11, when banks reported disappointing earnings.

BONDS AND COMMODITIES: Bond prices rose. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note, which falls when prices climb, dropped to 2.51 percent from 2.54 percent late Thursday. The price of oil fell $1.94, or 1.8 percent, to $101.01.