KING AMONGST MEN
Lebron James has lived the best life possible
American pop culture is laced with childhood prodigies and celebrities that crumble under the pressure of constant national exposure.
As the saying goes, “We like to build them up and tear them down.” Upon re ection, it’s easy to see why an actor, musician or athlete can’t handle being on the cover of every magazine, the ire of social media trolls or the bombardment of TMZ in addition to trying to appease the fans, agents and executives who take over their life. And upon deeper re ection, it’s extraordinary that anyone can withstand it and, in the rarest of cases, rise above it.
That’s Lebron James.
James has been a national figure since he was in his early teens. He was on the cover of Slam Magazine and Sports Illustrated. He was proclaimed “The Chosen One” on the cover of S.I. Local cable networks aired his high school games on Pay-per-view. ESPN brought its top crew to broadcast a game.
The school had to switch gyms to account for the increase in spectators.
Then came an NBA career that was equal parts hype, scrutiny and success. And an imprint on American culture that accounts for more than any bucket he ever scored.
Simply put, Lebron James has lived the best life possible. He’s an all-time athlete, an admirable family man, a pioneer of his craft and very charitable.
THE CHOSEN ONE
First, the easy part. James is indisputably one of the top five players in league history. While the point of this piece isn’t to add to the G.O.A.T. debate, James’ case (15-time ALL-NBA, 4-time MVP, 3-time Finals MVP, 6-time All-defensive) is as strong as any.
“I’m very vocal on this. I think Lebron is the best player who has ever played the game,” former Detroit Pistons Bad Boy Bill Laimbeer said on ESPN’S “First
Take” in 2020. “He’s 6-foot-8, 285 pounds, runs like the wind, jumps out of the gym . . . At the end of the day, I firmly believe he’s the best basketball player in the history of the game.”
Call that quote sour grapes against Michael Jordan if you want. But the all-around game is always James’ greatest attribute. He is the only player in NBA history with at least 34,000 points, 9,000 assists and 9,000 rebounds.
To this point, the only thing remotely close to any kind of drop-off in production was his 2018-19 groin injury that reduced his workload to 55 games. That, by the way, was the first major injury of his career.
“Lebron James is a great basketball player, one of the all-time greats that’s ever played the game,” Magic Johnson said on ESPN. “Lebron James to me, when you think about all-around basketball players, he’s probably the best of all time.”
Johnson still refers to Jordan as the greatest of all time, which is standard for players of his generation, save Laimbeer, of course. Some may have Lebron fatigue, but Johnson is not one of those.
“Thank God for Lebron because, right now, that’s what we’re watching,” Johnson said. “It’s his time. It’s his era, and he’s dominating his era.”
There is a Barry Sanders element to examining James’ greatness. It is said that Sanders’ most breathtaking runs were when he lost 2 yards. Some of James’ best performances came in defeat. In his first matchup with the Stephen Curry-led Golden State Warriors (2015), James played his best series. With no Kevin Love or Kyrie Irving, James led the Cleveland Cavaliers to a six-game defeat at the hands of a dynasty. All he did was average 35.8/13.3/8.8. In all honesty, he deserved the Finals MVP Award.
In 2016, he led the Cavs to the franchise’s first-ever NBA championship, as the Cavs stormed back to beat defending champion Golden State. It was in Game 7 that James produced a defining moment, hustling from behind the play to block an Andre Iguodala layup in the game’s final two minutes. That kept the game tied and Cleveland became energized.
Then in 2017, again his squad severely outmatched, James became the first player to average a triple-double in the NBA Finals (33.6 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists). Cleveland lost in five games, but it was clear who the league’s top dog was.
“There’s never been a player in his 15th season who was unquestionably the best player in the league,” former player and current TV analyst Greg Anthony said in 2017. “It’s not just that [Lebron] is really good in his 15th year. He’s the best player.”
HEAD GAME
James’ biggest muscle on his 6-foot-8, 270-something-pound frame is his brain. In addition to his legendary basketball I.Q., he is a deep thinker and is never shy to share his thoughts.
Take the 2013 NBA Finals, for instance. The Miami Heat’s miraculous comeback to defeat the San Antonio Spurs, a team brimming with Hall of Fame talent. Winning back-to-back championships was James’ biggest achievement to that point. After averaging 25.3 points and 10.9 rebounds, he was an easy choice for Finals MVP.
His move to Miami will go down as one of the most scrutinized player decisions in American professional sports history. The second consecutive championships, with non-heat fans almost universally rooting against him, proved he made the correct decision.
In that moment, he could have been petty. No one would have blamed him for a metaphorical middle finger to the haters. But James won with grace.
“I’m Lebron James from Akron, Ohio,” he said. “From the inner-city. I’m not even supposed to be here. That’s enough. Every night I walk into the locker room and see a No. 6 with James on the back. I’m blessed. So what everybody say about me off the court don’t matter.”
Seven years later he did it again, this time in the face of tragedy.
Kobe Bryant’s death in January shook the entire basketball community. It’s hard to imagine what James went through in the immediate aftermath. For Lebron, Bryant was an idol, peer, friendly rival and mentor. And James took carrying on Bryant’s legacy with the Lakers to heart.
James passed Bryant on the all-time points list in Bryant’s hometown of Philadelphia the day before Kobe died.
It was James who took the microphone before the Lakers’ first game since the tragedy. Standing in front of a sellout Staples Center crowd and wearing Bryant’s No. 24 jersey, James delivered a heartfelt speech that will be replayed for decades.
“Tonight is a celebration. Before we get to play
– love you all man – Kobe’s a brother to me. From the time I was in high school and watching him from afar to getting in this league at 18 watching him up close, all the battles we had throughout my career, the one thing that we always shared is that determination to just want to win and just want to be great, and the fact that I’m here now means so much to me.
“I want to continue along with my teammates to continue his legacy not only for this year but for as long as we can play the game of basketball that we love because that’s what Kobe Bryant would want. So in the words of Kobe Bryant, Mamba out. But in the words of us, not forgotten. Live on brother.”
LEADING VOICE
It should not have been a surprise that James lent his voice to help the country heal in wake of Bryant’s death. James has long realized the power of his platform. He was a pioneer in that. Never before has the face of the league involved himself so publicly in current events and social issues.
“Young kids are listening to the players more so than anybody else in the United States right now,” Detroit Pistons coach Dwayne Casey said. “It’s great that they’re speaking up and having an opinion about it, and they’re standing by their opinion.”
Like a good leader and teammate, James wanted to give other players the opportunity to speak out. So he founded “Uninterrupted,” a multimedia platform with millions of dollars in backing from Warner Bros. and Turner Sports.
“I wanted athletes to feel like they had power, they had the platform to speak about whatever they wanted to speak about,” James told The Undefeated in 2018. “And not have it cut, diced and split into soundbites where people could use it to how they wanted to use it.
“It could be as powerful as speaking about Trayvon Martin, or it could be as simple as what types
of socks you’re wearing this morning. That’s why I started this platform, to have athletes feel empowered to speak about whatever they feel like. We have so many kids who look up to us, so to have that platform means everything to me.”
As beneficial as that is, it pales in comparison to the impact of James’ greatest project.
Lebron, through his foundation, opened I Promise School as a way to better education in his hometown of Akron, Ohio.
After promising to focus on school work and be a respectful person, students receive free tuition, uniforms, free breakfast, lunch and snacks, free transportation within 2 miles, a free bicycle and helmet, access to a food pantry for their family, guaranteed tuition for all graduates to the University of Akron and parents of students receive access to job placement services and help acquiring their GEDS, per the foundation.
The lives that will be changed through the school is incalculable. And it’s his greatest legacy.
KING JAMES
Because of the insane hype surrounding his entry into the league, the willingness to walk his own path professionally and being unapologetically outspoken, James has always had detractors.
But he answered every one of his critics by showcasing his greatness, not as a player but as a man. Lebron James is the American dream, and he’s shared it with all of us. Like Magic said, Thank God for Lebron James.