As the seconds ticked down in Game 5 of the NBA finals, the lasting impression of the game was LeBron James and the rest of the Heat celebrating with exuberance along the sidelines. LeBron especially seemed to be revelling in the moment, and if the sports media is to be trusted it was because all of his demons were about to be exorcised. Indeed, the biggest storyline of these Finals, bigger than Miami winning every 50-50 call, Miami’s role players playing out of their minds and James Harden cancerous play, was how all of the things that have dogged LeBron over his 9 year career would be washed away if he won a title. The King’s lack of ring, his late-game let downs, his dubious “decision” to come to Miami and the public score heaped on him since that decision, would all be a memory if he could win 16 games in the post-season. But were they really going to be? By examining each of the items tormenting the LeBron James legacy it would appear that ones skeletons don’t disappear from the closet all that easily.
No Championships: This is the easiest criteria to evaluate as the player touted for 9 long years as being the NBA’s best player finally has a championship. And as LeBron James states, “Its about damn time!” I mean seriously how much longer was the public going to have to sit back and listen to the sports media and the marketing gurus go on and on about a guy being the best in the game, yet after 9 years and every possible advantage afforded him he still has no championship? Instead of being the King, Lebron was starting to look more like the Emperor with no clothes. Fortunately for LeBron (and his brand of course), this particular monkey is finally off his back.
The Inability to Close Late: Aside from his lack of rings, LeBron’s lack of play in the clutch was easily the biggest knock against him. And it was certainly warranted. In recent memory alone, the Cavs were throttled by the Magic when they were pegged to win the Crown in 2009, he disappeared in the infamous series against the Celtics in 2010, he had the worst drop off for any star player in playoff history in last year’s Finals against Dallas, he had a huge choke job after Kobe Bryant called him out in this year’s All-Star game and all of the countless times he deferred to other Heat players in big game moments all season are all prime examples. However, to his credit, mid way through the Indiana series this year a change seemed to be happening with LeBron and by game 6 of the Boston series he had flipped a switch and turned into an incredible force. And while Chris Bosh’s return and the unbelievable play of Miami’s role players certainly were big factors in Miami’s championship run, LeBron James played out of his mind basketball for at least the final 7 games of the playoffs and that is undeniable. Will this performance completely erase all of his unfulfilled MVP seasons and disappearing acts over the last 9 years? Probably not, but in the what-have-you-done-for-me-lately culture in which we live his critics will surely be satisfied in the interim.
The decision to come to Miami: When LeBron choose not to re-sign with his hometown team the Cleveland Cavaliers, the decision to do so was undeniably met with scorn and criticism across the board. And while LeBron’s camp could not understand how overnight his image had changed, it was obviously the dubious circumstances around the decision and “The Decision” which sparked the backlash. However, backlash for the traitorous maneouver aside, there was also something about the reason behind leaving which did not resonate well with people both inside and outside the NBA(past greats like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird for example could not believe a star player could ever do such a thing). However, in making the choice to leave LeBron was not only jumping ship on his franchise, he was doing so for the purpose of joining up with other two other top 15 players so that they would be placed in the best position to win a championship. Add to this the fact that LeBron was willing to leave his team and join and join an Alpha-Dog player on his turf (i.e. Dwayne Wade in Miami) and suddenly the King looked like nothing more than a conniving side-kick.
All of this however is of course nothing new, and while this scenario has been talked about countless times, it is worth remembering because in my opinion nothing actually changes in relation to it now that LeBron has won a title. Why you ask? Well because while the popular notion being floated around now remains that winning a title will somehow validate LeBron’s decision to play in Miami, it actually changes nothing about the manner in which LeBron chose to abandon his home team in Cleveland, underhandedly took the short cut in order to win a title and basically go from being regarded as the top player in the NBA to a guy willing to play second fiddle on someone else’s team. In sum, while the plan worked to fruition and LeBron got his ring, the criticisms with respect to his decision, “The Decision” and his inability to win without help all remain in tact, and in large part validated.
Winning will alleviate the Public Scorn: While I can at least understand the rationale behind why winning would slay the previous demons listed (although again I do not agree with the third), LeBron winning a title and somehow winning over the masses that hate him is a theory I will never understand. However, for whatever reason the mainstream media has been peddling the idea that if LeBron James were to win a title, that the public would somehow forget their misgivings about him and welcome him with open arms (And they have been peddling this idea hard!). My question to those who perpetuate this notion is when has anyone hated by the masses who managed to succeed in the very manner feared by the general public ever been successful in winning them back? Has this ever happened in the real world let alone the sporting world? For example, when O.J. Simpson was acquitted of murder, it is not as if the members of the public who loathed him were suddenly going to be happy about the fact he got off, forgive him and then embrace him. And while of course LeBron’s actions in no way even remotely compare to the seriousness of the charges Simpson faced, both LeBron and O.J. had a similarly large polarizing effect on the general populace. If that analogy is too much of stretch, bringing the argument back to the sporting level, when A-Rod finally won his ring, it is not as if the people who did not like him before suddenly began to like him after he won a ring, rather both camps remained relatively constant with the only difference being that A-rod had won a ring and the general knock on him was removed. And thus it remains the same with LeBron. Therefore, the only way LeBron, or anyone in the public eye for that matter who wants to get the scorn of the public off of them, can successfully do so is by finding a way to successfully change something fundamental about themselves that helped to cause the ire in the first place.
Say what you will about Western Society, but it will always root for the person who honestly works hard and the person who keeps trying their best despite the odds. It is an inescapable fact that is woven into the very fabric of our society and demonstrated over and over in every medium imaginable. Therefore, when LeBron James decided to defect his franchise in Cleveland, he violated these sacred tenets and it is for this reason that no matter what he does or how many championships he wins in Miami he will never be able to ingratiate himself back to the masses and will always be burdened by it.
I therefore submit that the only way LeBron will ever be able to exercise all of his demons remains the same today as it did the second after he announced his intention to bolt to Miami and it has nothing to do with winning championships. For LeBron James the only path to restoring his legacy and winning back the public is for him to return to the franchise he abandoned and do all he can to finish what he started. It is that simple. No amount of money, no amount of titles, no amount of press, no amount of MVP awards no amount of anything else will ever work for him.
Whether or not the Prodigal Son actually fulfills this prophecy and returns to Cleveland however is anyone’s guess.
