LeBron James has established himself as one of the greatest athletes of this era. As a three-time champion who delivered his hometown team its first title, his fans are devout, and most will follow him to the end.

When James is in town, hotels in the surrounding area are booked far in advance. Seats in the home arena fill, bars pack and local television ratings soar. In fact, when James returned to the Cavs in 2014, the downtown Cleveland area saw a 30 percent increase in overall revenue. However, when the King leaves a team, the impact can be quite dramatic.

When James left the Cavs for the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2018 offseason, the Cleveland media took a big hit. According to sportsbusinessdaily.com, FOX Sports Ohio's ratings have dropped by 58 percent. On the other hand, the Lakers' local media posted a 31 percent increase in ratings:

Not surprisingly, the biggest ratings decline came in Cleveland where the departure of LeBron James from the Cavaliers caused Fox Sports Ohio ratings to drop 58 percent. Conversely, James’ new team, the Los Angeles Lakers, posted a 31 percent ratings increase on Spectrum SportsNet — the team’s highest since 2013.

The Cavs had less than 10 nationally-televised games this season — seven, to be exact (five on NBA TV and two on other major networks). When James returned to the team in 2014, Cleveland was on national air for 29 games. Last season, the Cavs played on national television 39 times, not including their 22 postseason games.

It's no surprise that the James effect is real, but these numbers serve as proof.