LeBron James finally thanked fans in Cleveland on Saturday during his first public appearance since he left the Cavaliers for the Heat.

At his annual "King for Kids" charity bike-a-thon in downtown Akron, James addressed a crowd of several hundred people.

"To the city of Cleveland, my fans in Cleveland, my fans in northeast Ohio," said James, "I want to say thank you for the last seven years and the years that continue to go in the future."

James repeated the thank you to Cleveland a second time.

"So I want to thank the city of Cleveland, also northeast Ohio, for all the great years that I've had," he said.

James came under fire for taking out a full-page newspaper ad in the Akron Beacon Journal in which he thanked the city of Akron for its support.

The ad contained no mention of Cleveland.