Jalen Rose breaks down the significance of LeBron James opening up about his decision to join the Lakers on his Uninterrupted platform. (1:46)

Two days after LeBron James announced that he was leaving the Cavaliers for a second time, rain poured down in sheets on the intersection of Ontario Street and West Huron Road in downtown Cleveland, halting the team of workers who had been tasked with tearing down an iconic image.

The buckets that fell from the sky, accompanied by thunder and lightning for good measure, left only half of the most recent version of the 10-story-tall Nike banner of James displayed.

The right side was stripped away -- the ELAND and No. 3 from the back of James' jersey and the gold patch along the neckline commemorating the 2016 Cavs championship were removed -- while the massive black-and-white left side of the image continued to cover the brick façade of the Sherwin-Williams building.

"We've walked past here every day," said Richard Alachniewicz, who, with his brother, David, ducked under the cover of a parking garage across the street to stare at the sign. "Never once taken a picture with it until today. ... It was just one of those things that you never realized you had, and we took it for granted."

Even though the billboard was initially met with a degree of skepticism -- during a city council meeting, one concerned citizen opined that the chalk James was tossing into the air resembled a cloud of marijuana smoke -- it became a symbol of civic pride as much as an outsize advertisement. In James' second stint with the Cavs, Cleveland fans flocked to Quicken Loans Arena to cheer on their prodigal son during his return.

"It was a great four years. Unfortunately, great things can't last forever," said Patrick Pavicic, 29, from Euclid, Ohio. "I hate to see him leave with still so much left in his career with what he's done for the city, and I think the weather today couldn't sum up the feeling of northeast Ohio and Cleveland Cavaliers fans any better."

Although the rain suspended the assignment for hours, there was no turning back. By nightfall, James' entire image was cleared from the scene.

play 0:34 Iconic LeBron banner comes down in Cleveland Watch as the 10-story image of LeBron James is removed from the building that serves as the global headquarters for Sherwin-Williams.

The Cavaliers organization responded in a similar tone to James' decision to join the Los Angeles Lakers as the fans who gathered by the billboard.

Cavs owner Dan Gilbert issued a glowing statement of appreciation for the championship James delivered in 2016, a polar opposite reaction to his much-maligned Comic Sans letter from 2010. Cleveland general manager Koby Altman admitted that James' decision hurt but said he felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude for what James did for his career. Cavs coach Tyronn Lue tried to pay it forward, meeting with Lakers coach Luke Walton to pass on tricks of the trade that will aid Walton in the trenches in L.A.

When Quicken Loans Arena reopens in the fall after undergoing a $140 million renovation this summer, James' likeness will still be included in The Q where the team recognizes its legends and history, according to a Cavs source.

But while there was a unified front -- sentimental yet appreciative -- between the fans and the Cavs' key decision-makers when it came to processing James' plans, the rest of the league had mixed reactions to the news. Those reactions -- culled from more than two dozen players, coaches, executives and agents contacted by ESPN -- weren't always as sunny as the Southern California locale James is embarking for.

LeBron James has seemed pleased with his free-agency decision. Ethan Miller/Getty

"He wanted to come to L.A.," one Western Conference player said. "They just had to not f--- it up. Jerry West just said it, and I was like, 'Finally.' He's not coming to the Lakers. He came to L.A."

West, now an adviser for the LA Clippers, told Sports Illustrated that, "LeBron was not a tough free-agent signing." While the player's swipe -- like West's -- was aimed more at the Lakers than at James, the four-time MVP also had his motives for the move questioned.

"My thought was, 'Good luck. You must really want to live in L.A.'" one prominent agent said. "Playing Western Conference teams night in and night out is not going to be the same. You don't get a 'night off.' I would not want to end my career just making the playoffs."

James' streak of eight straight NBA Finals appearances would seem to be on life support with his switch from the East to the West. The Lakers' success, or lack thereof, will largely depend on how quickly L.A.'s young core -- some combination of Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart -- develops around James.

Hart was in his hotel room in Sacramento, where the Lakers were playing in the California Classic Summer League, when his brother from his host family in high school, Matt Hillman, FaceTimed him with the news that James was coming to L.A.

"Uhh, holy s---!" Hart told ESPN while laughing as he recalled what went through his mind at that moment. "I was like, 'Wow!' Obviously, there was a lot of speculation [all season], but for that to actually happen, you don't get the opportunity to play with the best player in the world often. To have something like that happen, it was just crazy."

While Ball grew up idolizing James, Hart was more of a Dwyane Wade guy. That changed, though, the first time Hart got to see James up close when the Lakers visited Cleveland in December. James logged a triple-double with 25 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists, won the game for the Cavs and won over a new fan.