Once one of LeBron’s biggest haters, I try to explain why LeBron has grown on me, why I found myself rooting for the
Cavaliers last night, and how we can all learn from LeBron’s journey to where
he is today.
I had never been particularly fond of LeBron James. In fact, I was one of his biggest haters and took schadenfreude in his shortcomings.
Despite his obvious otherworldly talent on the basketball court, there
was just something about him that irked me. He self-declared himself the
nickname “King James.” He claimed that he would make a statement on social
justice issues in China prior to the Beijing Olympics in 2008, which he never
did. The following year, after a particularly unentertaining Slam Dunk Contest
in 2009, LeBron promised that he would participate the following year.
LeBron James did not participate in the 2010 Slam Dunk Contest.
LeBron James did not participate in the 2010 Slam Dunk Contest.
In the summer of 2010, after my beloved Celtics once
again dismissed LeBron from the NBA Playoffs, as most of you know, James had the
option to either stay with the Cavaliers in Cleveland – a city that had not won
a championship in nearly 50 years and where he had played his entire career and
pretty much grown up his entire life – or leave his team for another team with
greener pastures and more basketball talent. And, as I'm sure you remember, he left Cleveland for Miami by doing this:
The decision to leave his hometown was heavily ridiculed.
His haters, myself among them, thought: so when the going gets tough – as it
certainly has in Cleveland—LeBron thinks you should flee for greener pastures? When
faced with a challenge, instead of working harder, you should take the easiest
path to success? He thinks loyalty is overrated? What about the promise LeBron made about bringing a championship to Cleveland? Was that nothing? What does that tell his
fans?
While the decision itself was controversial, what was
more damning was “The Decision” process itself. A publicized TV event
on national television to announce that you’re ditching your hometown for the sexy beaches of South Florida? Who do you think you are? As one writer put it, LeBron
publicizing his decision to “take his talents to South Beach” via “The Decision”
was about the equivalent of dumping your loyal longtime girlfriend on national TV… in
her house.
Making matters worse, just a few days after The Decision, LeBron (and Dwyane Wade and Chris
Bosh) threw the now infamous “Not 1, Not 2, Not 3…” party in South Beach just
days after the decision. Way to rub in it Cleveland’s face.
Cleveland, and most of the general public, didn’t take
LeBron’s decision and actions fondly. Cleveland fans burned his jerseys on
national TV and called him a traitor, a liar. The Cavaliers’ owner, Dan Gilbert,
famously published this scathing letter condemning LeBron for his Decision. The ESPYs,
featuring Steve Carell, made a parody of James’ Decision, which I’m sure I watched
twenty or thirty times in the following weeks. He even took some flak for his otherwise well-crafted Nike “What should I do?” commercial -- which South Park deftly parodied-- mainly because it was, once again, LeBron making The Decision all about himself.
I was more thrilled than most when the team-oriented Dallas Mavericks
upset the Heat in the 2011 finals. In 2012, my hatred for LeBron, en route to his first
championship, peaked as he unleashed this gem on my Celtics in the Eastern
Conference Finals. He would win the championship again in 2013, but fall short
in the Finals in 2014. I still despised him.
As the years passed in Miami, however, something gradually changed in
LeBron. He no longer made brash comments about himself or took on promises that he could not keep. He no longer purposefully drew the spotlight on himself. It was almost as if he preferred to remain behind the scenes.
And then shockingly, in the summer of 2014 following the Heat’s loss in the finals, LeBron decided to leave the Heat and return to Cleveland.
While the decision to return to Cleveland was in itself praiseworthy, the avenue in which LeBron chose to do so was even better. There was no publicized press conference. There was no build-up. There was just this letter published via Sports Illustrated, where LeBron delicately and deliberately put everything out on the table. (But seriously, re-read the letter. It's pretty incredible).
In the letter, LeBron explained he left for Miami "to seek championships," a decision he most certainly did not regret. He talked about how as his time passed in Miami, his decision to return home "felt right" and simply made him feel happy. He didn't promise any championships. He understood that he had to be patient and work extremely hard. He came across the realization that his presence, his calling, was bigger than basketball, that he truly meant more to those in Northeast Ohio than he did in Miami or anywhere else.
LeBron is not a perfect role model, nor can he ever be one. He acknowledges that he makes mistakes, sometimes big ones. But he has also shown that he, like all of us, is capable of maturing and learning from his mistakes and moving forward from them. He follows his heart and his passions and sticks to his beliefs, regardless of what others say or think. He (now) understands that the most rewarding challenges to overcome require the most work, the most passion, and can only be earned. He shows that forgiveness can indeed be an avenue towards greater happiness and fulfillment. He, despite the media and fame that surrounds him, has finally demonstrated understanding that the world does not revolve ourselves and how necessary it is to consider others and the greater good, something most of us (myself included) have yet to truly grasp.
LeBron's growth over the years is fascinating because despite the fact he has superhuman basketball abilities, his story -- a guy who made some mistakes but proceeded by forgiving, growing up, and moving on -- his something we, as normal humans, can strive for and relate to.
And so, when the choice became to either root for the Cleveland
Cavaliers and LeBron—trying to bring a sports championship to a blue-collar
city that desperately needed some good fortune—or the overly arrogant, muscle
flexing, groin kicking Golden State Warriors and their fan constituency of wealthy tech folk and an overcrowded bandwagon, it was a pretty easy choice.
I hate to admit it, but you’ve grown on me, LeBron.
It's also pretty cool you that can do things like this.
It's also pretty cool you that can do things like this.
-JTF
In case you care, here was my last blog post (which I finally finished!) about my road trip across the country last month!
In case you care, here was my last blog post (which I finally finished!) about my road trip across the country last month!
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