The Seattle Thunderbirds, surprisingly, were turned down by Lebron James when he chose to stay in the NBA and play with the Miami Heat. In a real head-scratcher, these are some of the things James is going to miss out on.

• Grand Marshall of the Kent Cornucopia Parade
• Friendly billet families that will welcome LeBron into the Kent community.
• Free Preferred Parking at ShoWare Center
• Two free tickets to Opening Night of the 2010-11 season against the Portland Winterhawks in addition to a 24-Flex Ticket Package.
• Lunch with Kent Mayor Suzette Cooke (pending Mayor’s schedule) and Cool Bird.
• Use of both Allied Waste Zambonis for personal recreation.
• James St. leading to ShoWare Center will be renamed LeBron James St.
• A suite at ShoWare Center to watch the Backstreet Boys on August 5
• Entry fee will be waived for participation in the ShoWare Shootout 3-on-3 basketball tournament on August 6 and 7.
• Discounts at the Hockey Store in ShoWare Center.

Go figure.