The Cavaliers are your 2016 NBA champs, and in the process, they broke a 52-year title-less streak in Cleveland. At best, it gives hope to a perpetually hapless outfit like the Browns, who are again under new management and will likely have a new quarterback under center when the season begins in three months.

What the Cavs and LeBron James accomplished have given the city and its professional sports teams a renewed sense of purpose. And for that feat, Browns great and Hall of Famer Jim Brown, who will soon have a statue in his likeness outside of First Energy Stadium, thinks Cavs owner Dan Gilbert should do the same for LeBron. That's how big a deal this is.

"He'd better give him a statue," Brown said of Gilbert, via the Akron Beacon Journal. That young man put out so much blood, sweat and tears it's unbelievable. He gave up his life. He could've had a heart attack he was playing so hard. So they'd better give him a statue. That's the least they could do.

"[He's] a young man who has taken responsibility on every level - community, family, team, organization, city - and he's done it with grace. He's carried himself well. He has bitten the bullet many times, and it's paid off for him. His legacy is set, and I'm so happy for him."

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The Cavs' improbable championship (they were down 3-1 in the series to 73-win Warriors) has been embraced by the entire region and its beleaguered fan base -- which also includes former and current professional athletes.

Brown continued: "I just got through watching documentaries on what didn't happen - The Fumble, The Drive, the this, the that. So what about this - coming back from 3-1 for the first time in history? The historic event that just occurred gives us a totally fresh start.

"[The fans] stayed with it. They're known to be blue-collar workers who will stay with it. They will work hard. They will be loyal. They have proven that their loyalty was undaunted, and now it's been rewarded. So thank goodness to the fans of Cleveland and thank goodness that we can say their loyalty has always been there."

Browns cornerback Joe Haden wrote that the Cavs' title is inspiration for the football team "to get ours." And former Browns running back Earnest Byner, used the championship as an opportunity to heal old wounds and set new goals.

Yes... Now we gotta go earn more. #Believeland paved some of the way. Healing then growth.Now expectancy. #ALLinCLEhttps://t.co/R9DUkPeFG6 — Earnest Byner (@EByner) June 20, 2016

Now comes the hard part: Overcoming decades of mediocrity and turning the Browns winners.