Throughout these playoffs, Lebron James has been his usual phenomenal self.
Year 17. It is almost unprecedented for an athlete to sustain such a high level of play for so long, and yet LeBron James has done so. James is one of the most gifted athletes this sport has ever seen. Sans Kareem Abdul Jabbar, we have never seen an athlete be at the top for so long. Not even Jordan played at such a high level for so long (baseball might have something to do with that).
This is expected from LeBron. No athlete has ever had such high expectations from the moment he stepped on the hardwood floor. He is The Chosen One, the King. Yet, this King has pulled off a magic trick that the cleverest magician would deem impossible and a challenge so daunting that the greatest warrior would cower in fear after simply imagining doing so: he has defied Father Time.
There is a reason why Father Time is undefeated. Time is unbeatable and it does not discriminate against anyone. It is such a force that we as humans have tried to tackle and defeat for so long that it might be a subject of obsession for us as a species.
Just the mere fact that a man can challenge time is exhilarating to us mere mortals. After all, athletes represent the peak of what a human being can physically achieve. They are not perfect because nobody truly is (this is an imperfect world after all). But dare I say that James might be the closest thing to a perfect athlete we have ever come across?
Maybe @daverandomnumbers (not a real Twitter @) will tell you that LeBron James is a fake or whatever those bots call athletes these days (Spoiler alert: not very pretty things). However, that makes me want to ask Mr. random numbers a question, can you even fathom to think the achievements of one LeBron James?
The answer will probably be no because well, not everybody is a critical thinker or appreciates greatness. But I am and let me stop you right there. No, I don’t only mean his accomplishments on the court (which give him a case to be the best basketball player ever, but I don’t want to resort to that lowest common denominator type of debate), but rather off the court too.
You see, this is a man that as an 18-year-old had every statistic against him and had suffered from being poor throughout his childhood. Even after all those hardships, he turned down a $10 million dollar check from Reebok before graduating high school. Not only did he turn down a $10 million dollar check, but he turned that rejection into $90 million. Think about that. How many of us at 18 years of age would’ve snatched that $10 million dollar check before the offeror finished his sentence?
Exactly.
But there is something about this kid from Akron, Ohio that is different. How many athletes’ careers have we seen been derailed due to substance abuse after receiving that amount of money at such a young age? It is very easy to fall down the abyss, but LeBron has somehow navigated that maze without falling into it.
Even with the entire sports media world watching every step he has taken since he was in high school, LeBron James has never wavered. His biggest scandal so far has been him deciding to take his talent to South Beach.
Even that “scandal” turned him into a pioneer. He created the player empowerment era. His decision allowed Anthony Davis to force his way to the Lakers after all. LeBron made this the new normal whether you like it or not. How would have the media reacted pre-The Decision? Do you truly think that we would be lauding Davis for playing here?
Heck no, the columns would be scathing, sports talk shows would’ve condemned him, and fans… well fans will always remain true to their tribalistic behavior. The point is that somebody had to take it before it became normal, and LeBron did just that.
His social justice efforts are historic. One might say that LeBron himself has been a victim of America’s biggest sin. Which leads to his social justice work. Always outspoken on what is right and fair, LeBron actually put his money where his mouth is which is something that the ghost from Chicago that he’s chasing always struggled with.
From founding a school to leading the More than a Vote campaign during one of the most crucial elections of our lives, LeBron has charted his own path and in the same vein of Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar and Muhammad Ali, he has truly become more than an athlete.
As the Lakers battle the Nuggets in these Western Conference Finals, we must keep perspective of what is happening. Should LeBron win a 4th ring and Finals MVP, he would become the first player in NBA History to win Finals MVP with three different teams. The Lakers would tie the Celtics as the team with the most championships in NBA history.
But in my opinion, the greatest joy that a Finals win this year would bring to this fanbase is that it would be the ultimate way that this team could honor the late, great, and forever missed Kobe Bryant. There is a lot of history riding on the Lakers’ and LeBron’s shoulders.
Appreciate what we have seen, acknowledge his greatness because when this ride’s over our lives as basketball fans will never ever be the same.