In 2014, James returned to the Cavaliers after four seasons in Miami. While the Heat had a 224 -- 88 record during James' four-year tenure and won NBA titles in 2012 and 2013, the Cavaliers went 97 -- 215 and missed the playoffs each season. The Cavaliers made several moves to build a championship-contender around James, most notably acquiring power forward Kevin Love from the Minnesota Timberwolves, which created what many fans and media referred to a "Big Three" with James, Love, and Irving. The Lebron-led Cavaliers made four consecutive finals appearances in from 2015 to 2018, all against the Golden State Warriors, winning in 2016. The 2016 NBA Championship marked the Cavaliers' first title in franchise history, as they became the first team to come back from a 3 -- 1 deficit to win the Finals. It was also Cleveland's first championship in major professional sports since the 1964 Browns, signaling the end of the so-called Cleveland sports curse.

Answer this question: when did the cavs win their first championship? Let's think fast. Stream of consciousness:
The important part for answering this question is: The 2016 NBA Championship marked the Cavaliers' first title in franchise history, as they became the first team to come back from a 3 -- 1 deficit to win the Finals. So the final answer is The 2016 NBA Championship.