Alright, so obviously everyone knows by now that the Heat won the 2013 NBA Finals (spoiler alert for all you Amish people). Congratulations to them, people can hate all they want, but it does not take the title out of their hands. Now, I am not a huge basketball fan. I'm relatively big sports fan, so I build up my opinions on topics like this. Whether they're right or wrong is up to you to agree with.
First off, let me preface this by saying that I hate LeBron James. This 28 year old is probably the most hated figure in the United States since Hitler. What he did to the city of Cleveland 4 (right? 4 years?) years ago is despicable. His hometown, he just completely abandoned for greener pastures. He realized he was not going to win a championship with them so he peaced. Class act. However, his arrogance is only comparable to his dominance. Regardless of what you think of his character, King James has to be considered one of the best, if not the absolute greatest of all time.
My high school wrestling coach always used to say, "What makes someone good? Results". That statement has never rung truer than with James. He has, at the ripe age of 28, won 4 MVP awards, 2 Finals MVPs and 2 rings. He is a 9x all star and has made the all defense team 5 times as well. He does anything and everything he can to win, and that's what he does. But does that mean we should like him?
One thing I think professional athletes always forget is that they are in the entertainment industry. I understand they want to be immortalized through excellence in their sport, they want to win championships, they want awards, they want all the fame, glory, and money that accompany playing professional sports. Hell, I'm 21 years old, working in an office for the summer and would sell my soul to have the ability to play a game every day for the rest of my life and make millions of dollars. However, it does not change the fact that professional athletes are paid that kind of money because their job is to entertain us. We live in a society that is so engrossed in how other people carry themselves that athletes and actors, musicians and models are all heavily scrutinized for how they behave. This is the area that LeBron clearly does not comprehend.
We get it, you are the (potentially) the greatest player to every lace up your basketball shoes. When all is said and done, I think you will be the single greatest. You are 28 years old and have accomplished more than maybe any others. The only thing standing in the way of the discussion is another 3 or 4 rings...
However that does not excuse they way you carry yourself. My parents always said its better to use your powers for good, never for evil. You sir, are pure evil. You destroyed the faith of not just the state of Ohio, but the entire country (with the exception of the slimeballs who live in south Florida). You have tainted a legacy that was pure, and likeable. Coming out of high school, you were a God. I used to love watching the magic shows that you put on on the court. Simply majestic. Now, not only do I not care about basketball, but I find myself rooting against you in every aspect of life. I'm a passionate Red Sox fan and I have never hated anyone on the Yankees as much as I hate you. A Bruins fan who has never hated anyone on the Habs as much as I hate you.
So is LeBron James the greatest basketball player of all time? Quite possibly. I would extend that and say that in this day and age, where we have seen many of G.O.A.T discussions of various players for various sports (Crosby, Tiger, Federer, Phelps, Usain Bolt, Kyle Dake, Abby Wambach, etc.), James may be the best of them all. But does that mean we should like him? That's up to you. Everybody is different. All I know is I could never respect someone with as little integrity as the so called "King".
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