LeBron James put on a quite a show Thursday Night.

"The Decision" gave LeBron a chance to showcase himself and show us what he is all about. The overriding conclusion is that James is one of the most selfish athletes on the planet, which is quite an accomplishment. 

This was narcissism at its best. In this era of Twitter, Facebook and the constant need for self-admiration, LeBron James became the poster boy for what our society has become. 

James went so far as to get charity involved in all of this, by selling ad space and donating all proceeds to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. In doing so, James looked like he was attempting to build up his image, displaying that he truly "cares" about the kids, and that's why he was doing the show. It had nothing to do with propping himself up in front of a nationwide audience and attempting to become an even bigger icon. No, this was all about the kids. What a guy, huh?

As for his actual decision, I have no problem with James leaving the Cavaliers; it's the way in which he did it that sickens me. James was a hero in Cleveland and the state of Ohio, revered like few players in the NBA. To Cleveland, James was their savior, the man that was finally going to give the city a championship after years of gut-wrenching heartbreak. Instead, all James did was give the city its worst defeat of all. The kid from Akron, who always claimed to love Cleveland, is deserting his hometown team, crippling their spirit in front of millions on a national television audience. And that's ultimately my biggest gripe here. Had James simply announced his decision on Twitter or his website, Cleveland wouldn't have felt quite as disgusted as it did. The problem is that James showed little compassion for the city, figuratively slapping it in the face in front of the entire country. Cleveland fans have a right to be angry, and James deserves all the boos he undoubtedly will receive when he returns to the Quicken Loans arena as a member of the Miami Heat.

This is what happens when an athlete surrounds himself with friends and puts them in managerial positions. James' camp couldn't have handled the situation any more poorly, turning LeBron's decision into a complete circus show. They fed information to the media on a daily basis, always making sure to give us something new to think about. Is he bringing Bosh to Cleveland? He was intrigued by the Nets pitch, maybe he's going there. He's always loved Madison Square Garden, so the Knicks are still in the running. The drama surrounding this was an absolute joke, and James' reputation has taken a major hit because of it. 

James, however, is too immature to realize just how bad this process makes him look. The 7.3 rating the show received will do nothing to bring him down, but the hits will come this fall. For the first time in James' career, he's going to booed relentlessly almost everywhere he goes. Remember when he walked into Madison Square Garden and there were more fans cheering for him than for the home team? Forget it. New York fans can be brutal, and Knicks fans aren't going to hold back when he comes to town. He toyed with everyone for two years, building his  free agent status as the biggest event in NBA history. 

For a man exceedingly concerned with his "brand," you'd think James would surround himself with experienced employees who would know how to handle every situation -- not ex-high school teammates who he is too nice to get rid of. The whole process was a disaster, with each day becoming more and more about James. When news came out that Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh were teaming up in Miami, it promptly was leaked that James would be making his decision on ESPN in a one-hour circus show. How convenient that the news would break just after Bosh and Wade made their decisions. Everyone needed a reminder that this was all about LeBron James, and any other news simply wasn't that important. Someone, anyone, should have told James just how bad an idea this all truly was. Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, the two players James continually is measured against, would not have done it this way. And if they had, at least they would have had championship rings to somewhat justify it.

For whatever reason, James believes he actually accomplished something in Cleveland. During his interview with Jim Gray, he repeatedly referred to how much he gave the organization. What exactly did he give? In his seven years, the Cavs had one Finals appearance, where they were swept by the San Antonio Spurs. His last two years, the Cavs had the best record in the regular season and were prohibitive favorites to win the championship, but the team failed to even reach the Finals in both years. If James truly thinks that fans are going to remember the good times, he's more naive than we all thought.  No, his last few moments as a member of the Cavs is what fans will remember. His final home game was an embarrassing 88-120 loss to the Boston Celtics in which James scored just 15 points. James did register a triple double in his final game, but anyone who watched that game against the Celtics knows that his team needed more than 27 points from their leader to win. Sorry, "King," but championships are what make a player a legend, not continually coming up small in the biggest moments. 

No matter what James does from here on out, fans will always remember this moment. This moment will define him; because this was the night the whole world saw the real "King James." He is all about himself, not caring one bit about the people who loved and adored him for seven years. Cleveland didn't need this kind of torture, but James went ahead and gave it to them.