LeBron James on winning first NBA Finals ring: 'It means everything'

Miami Heat forward LeBron James won the first ring of his NBA career on Thursday night, defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder in five games to take the 2012 NBA Finals.

"It means everything," James said of his first ring during a televised post-game interview. "I made a difficult decision to leave Cleveland. But I understood what my future was about. I understood that coming to Miami and being a part of this organization and being able to put together this team, I knew we had a bright future. This is a dream come true for me. I've been through a lot the last two years but this is definitely the way that it pays off."

James said that Miami's loss to the Dallas Mavericks in the 2011 NBA Finals provided the motivation for this year's title's chase.

"Losing in the Finals last year put me back in place," he said. "It humbled me a lot. I was able to go back to the basics. A lot of people had a lot to do with it. But at the end of the day, I just looked in myself in the mirror and said, 'You need to be better.' Both on and off the floor. I'm happy I was able to put myself and our team in a position to win this."

James was the 2012 NBA MVP and was named the 2012 NBA Finals MVP.