VIDEO: LeBron's pregame speech to teammates before Thursday's game

Hours before tipoff Thursday, LeBron James called his return to Cleveland as a member of the Cavaliers for a second time "one of the biggest sporting events that's up there ever."

He meant it, too, telling his teammates before Thursday's game that the game was "one of the biggest sporting spectacles in the history of sports, and we're a part of it."

A snippet of the video can be seen below and an extended version can be found on NBA.com. 

James struggled in his return, scoring 17 points and shooting 5-of-15 from the field in a 95-90 loss to the Knicks.