Saturday, June 25, 2016

LeBron James is Great on Basketball Court, But is He Great Off the Court?



The self-proclaimed "King" of the basketball court has continually reminded anyone who will listen of his own greatness, and indeed, what he has managed to achieve on his court has been quite amazing, worthy of placing him among the truly elite names in the history of the sport.

But is he a king outside of this particular court?

My issue with LeBron is that he seems, frankly, quite full of himself. Anyone who calls himself "The King" and tattoos "The Chosen One" prominently on his back seems to suffer from a particularly severe case of a total lack of humility.

I know this probably makes me sound old, although this kind of thing existed throughout my life. I've just never been a huge fan of bragging and trash talking, with very few exceptions. I like the fact that Muhammad Ali was so great, and had a mouth that perhaps surpassed his talents in the ring. Also, I always liked the story of Joe Namath guaranteeing that his New York Jets would beat the prohibitively heavily favored Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III, and then going ahead and leading his team to victory in the biggest game of his life. In 1994, Mark Messier predicted that his Rangers would win Game 6 in New Jersey, after New York fell behind 3-2 in the series and faced elimination by the Devils. Down by two goals in the final period, Messier himself scored a hat trick, and the Rangers found a way to win. They would go on to win Game 7, and then would win the Stanley Cup Finals against Vancouver, also in seven games.

Yes, there are some athletes who were cocky, but somehow, they remained relatively subdued despite their cockiness.

LeBron is not one of those, as far as I am concerned. He takes it to another level not just on the basketball court, but also with his worshiping of self, as well. And when you look at the results, it is not a pretty picture.

Of course, this probably is not the time to mention this, since everyone is in love with him. He promised to bring Cleveland a title, a long awaited sports championship for a city that had not seen one since 1964, for a city that had grown used to seeing spectacular sports failures and epic, unlikely heartbreaks instead. The fortunes of their sports teams went down, coinciding with the downfall of the city itself. Once upon a time, Cleveland was a city with a huge impact on the American economy, and it was seen as a model American city. The success of their sports teams underscored that excellence. But times had changed, and Cleveland became the butt of jokes, derided as the "Mistake by the Lake."

Yes, the long suffering fans of the city of Cleveland deserve this moment, deserve to celebrate their championship team. And indeed, LeBron obviously earned the right to celebrate with his home team.

All that I'm saying is that LeBron has not always been a class act on and off the court. He plays on the court, and acts off the court, like he's entitled to something. When he complains about a player, they get ejected from the game, like in Game 5 of this series. And getting back to predictions, let us not forget that bringing a title to Cleveland was not his only guarantee. Just a few weeks ago, he predicted that the Cavs would not just win a title, but would achieve the perfect postseason record in the process. They would sweep everybody. That goal fell short when Toronto won two games in a row against Cleveland in the Eastern Conference Finals, and then the Golden State Warriors went up 3 games to 1 against them. Since that is not a glorious story that magically came true, people seem to have forgotten. But they should not forget. What if Cleveland had lost, which they came close to doing? Would people not point to this silly prediction and perhaps suggest that LeBron's boasting cost Cleveland dearly, once again?

So, people forgot that prediction, although I think it is every bit as relevant as other failed predictions, such as the various Knicks of the 1990's promising titles, or Bret Favre's prediction that the 1990's Packers were a dynasty (they only won one title), or the Broncos promising a victory over the mighty 49ers in Super Bowl XXIV (Denver lost, 55-10), or of various players in each sport essentially guaranteeing championships, and then failing to deliver. Gary Browne of West Virginia guaranteed that his team would be the ones to beat unbeaten Kentucky, but he got ejected in the game, which saw Kentucky embarrass West Virginia. Rasheed Wallace guaranteed that his Pistons would beat the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round, no problem. They lost. Carlos Zambrano guaranteed that his Chicago Cubs would win the World Series in 2007, but they fell far short of that. Daniel Alfredsson of the Ottawa Senators liked how his team was playing so much, he guaranteed they would hoist the Stanley Cup at season's end. They made it to the playoffs, but took the first exit, losing to Toronto in the first round. Alex Ovechkin promises that his Capitals would beat the Rangers in the 2015 playoffs, after watching his team fall well behind. Washington did force a Game 7, but they were eliminated by New York in that decisive game. The 1994 Steelers following in the footsteps of the 1985 Bears in making a video, but then failing to even make the Super Bowl, unlike those Bears. Ray Buchanan predicting his Falcons will beat the heavily favored Broncos in Super Bowl XXXIII (they lost convincingly). Matt Hasselbeck actually guaranteed results during a game, promising his Seahawks would score at Lambeau field again his old team, the Packers, and then failing to do so, instead watching the Pack celebrate in victory. In 2007, Anthony Smith guaranteed that his Steelers would beat the undefeated New England Patriots in Foxboro. They got a beatdown instead, losing by three touchdowns. Former Chargers quarterback Ryan Leaf made a guarantee about his entire career after being introduced to San Diego fans. And what of Rex Ryan's numerous guarantees about leading the Jets to the promised land? Not once did they make it to the big game under his tenure.

And in Cleveland, of course, comes another infamous failed guarantee. Some suggest that it was the worst sports guarantee ever. After LeBron departed his old team in 2010, Cavs owner Dan Gilbert promised that the Cavaliers would win a title before LeBron ever would. Two years later, LeBron hoisted the trophy with Miami, while the Cavaliers were still basically one of the worst teams in the NBA. Fail!

Which brings me back to what I feel LeBron might be remembered for as much as his titles. That infamous announcement of where he was going to bring his talents to, handing Cleveland one of the most painful and degrading sports heartbreaks of all. True, he came back eventually. Still, his arrogance and sense of entitlement in joining a star-studded team to get his first rings will carry on. And let us not forget how heavily favored that Miami team was in the 2011 NBA Finals, and how LeBron and teammate Wade made fun of Dirk Nowitzki's illness during the Finals, only to watch helplessly as Nowitzki ultimately led his Dallas Mavricks to victory over LeBron's Miami Heat team.

All of that showed a decided lack of class, not to mention maturity, on the part of LeBron James, although his announcement, while Cleveland fans watched helplessly, will remain one of the most enduring moments in Cleveland sports history. Cleveland fans forgave him for leaving for greener pastures, and perhaps the title this year was all the sweeter because of it, but I still think that is a major blemish on his character, even if he did ultimately return to Cleveland. After all, he made a ton of money, and earned rings with a star-studded team. He got what he wanted, and only after that, he decided to come back to Cleveland.

So, while I cannot detract from anything that LeBron James has done on the court, particularly during this year's NBA Finals, I think that there is still plenty to criticize off the basketball court. And there's enough there that even leading Cleveland to a long awaited sports championship cannot entirely eclipse.

And let me just say it: Michael Jordan never failed to deliver on guarantees, particularly as often as LeBron has managed to do it. Frankly, that too, is a decisive knock on LeBron's overall legacy.
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