The biggest traffic event in Sport Illustrated’s history previously was a column at the MMQB by Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman following his controversial on-field interview after the NFC Championship in January (4.3 million unique visitors). And prior to that article, Jason Collins’ first-person essay announcing that he was gay topped the list previously (3.7 million unique visitors).
Although speculation was running wild, LeBron James shocked the world with his 952-word statement posted on the Sports Illustrated website announcing that he would not be returning to the Miami Heat and therefore making his way back home to the Cleveland Cavaliers.