Two words. Lebron James.
Learn it. Live it. Love it.
If you
haven’t heard the name, because of the weight of the rock that you’ve
been hiding under, you will. Rest assured you will.
At 6’8" tall and 240 pounds, this
kid seems poised to rewrite the NBA record books. Here’s the kicker.
He’ll turn 19 years old in December.
2 years ago, Lebron was wowing high
school crowds and gaining national notoriety as the kid with adult
skills. And not just on the basketball court. After games he could be
seen, hugging, shaking hands and even kissing babies. Another Ohio
politician. Not Likely.
From Akron, Ohio, Lebron has taken
not only the NBA by storm, but also, a huge chunk of the sports world
media. Not that I coined the phrase, but," Lebron Mania," is in full
gear across America. In Las Vegas, you can bet on anything from, how
many points he will score to, what endorsement he will accept next. No
one has gained so much press and national attention in any sports
league. Ever. Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Paul Silas calls it, "
Scary ".
Along with the $10 million dollar,
3-year, rookie contract, Nike has penned him to a $90 million dollar
endorsement deal. Not bad for a kid who never took an SAT. With his
skills, why would he.
You would think with this kind of
attention and financial windfall, one would lose focus of what’s most
important. Not Lebron. He is the first to give the brunt of the credit
for his success, to his mother, Gloria. You may remember, she was the,
"very cool", Mom who took out an $80,000 loan to buy her son a Hummer
2, for his 18th birthday. What a gal! Lebron says, "My
mother is everything. Always has been. Always will be." Another tale
of hard times and classic hard luck. An 18 year old who grew up in a
world of crime
and lawlessness, is suddenly thrown
into the deluge that is life, as well as the NBA. Good luck.
Most kids would crumble and unleash
the choke mode. Not Lebron. He handles himself with the confidence and
charisma of a seasoned veteran, and commands the respect of his peers
with actions. Not talk. He sees the floor better than any rookie in
the league and better than most. Period. His unselfish play has made
it cool to pass the ball again. He is not a ball hog. Always in
control, he never forces the ball down the court. He can post up with
the best of them, and most of his passes lead to good shots. Kind of
reminds me of another young player in the 80’s. Ever heard of a man
called," Magic." The way he get people involved in the game, breeds
confidence not only from his coach, but from his teammates. He plays
with tons of heart and his team believes in him.
On opening night, in Sacramento,
against the Kings, He scored 25 points, had 7 rebounds, 5 assists and
4 steals. (Note: the Kings don’t have the best defense in the league
and the entire Cavaliers starting lineup has 4 years of college
collectively). But Lebron still had a great opening night. Not bad for
an 18 year old, with his own locker at the Millionaires club. The kid
is for real. No doubt about it.
So sit back Cleveland and thank the
good Lord that your social/sports messiah has descended to save your
city. You may have had Jim Brown, in the 60’s, and a decent run with
the Indians in the 80’s. but, you’ve never seen anything like this
kid. Lucky you!
©
