With news of LeBron James leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers in free agency (again) comes news that Cleveland's famous giant billboard of James will also be leaving the city (again). 

On the heels of LeBron signing a four-year, $153.3 million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers this week, it was announced that the massive 10-story billboard in Cleveland will be taken down. That billboard, which depicts James with his arms spread wide and the wordmark "Cleveland" on the back of his No. 23 jersey, is owned and branded by Nike and has become an iconic city landmark during LeBron's time with the Cavaliers. 

A different version of the billboard, which read "We Are All Witnesses," was taken down in 2010 after LeBron left the Cavaliers to join the Miami Heat. The current iteration was erected in 2014 when he returned to the Cavs in free agency.

Of course, the previous version couldn't come down fast enough given the level of anger from Cleveland fans following LeBron's "betrayal" when he took his talents to South Beach. But this time around there's significantly less animosity surrounding the departure. Even Cavs owner Dan Gilbert released a cordial statement about LeBron's decision, one free of Comic Sans and bitter pettiness. 

In any case, the billboard will still be coming down, as it doesn't make much sense to live there while James does not. Nike reportedly plans to take it down later this week and Sherwin-Williams, which owns the building from which it hangs, will have to decide what to do with the space on the side of its headquarters. 

If LeBron's farewell doesn't feel quite real to Cleveland fans just yet, it likely will when they see the barren side of the building for the first time in four years. And if that doesn't do the trick, seeing the LeBron-less Cavs take the court at Quicken Loans Arena this fall certainly will.