In part 1, we discussed the media hype surrounding LeBron James as a high school phenomenon as he headed into the NBA draft and how he lived up to that hype during his first stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers. As we continue the journey down the LeBron James legacy conversation, we come to our next phase which I affectionately refer to as…
The MVP for Hire
During the 2009-2010 season, James and the Cavs sat atop of the NBA, boasting a 61-21 record and securing homecourt advantage not just in the playoffs, but for the finals as well. Things were looking promising for the future hall-of-famer. However, The Boston Celtics decided to play spoiler to LeBron and the Cavs championship aspirations. Not only did the Cavs not make it to the conference championship, but you could also make an argument that LeBron had a total collapse during that series, and the statistics do support this theory. And we all know how much LeBron James fans like to use stats, that is, until the stats stop supporting their argument. But I digress.
Now here is where things get, well, interesting. After a season where James wins the regular season MVP and leads the Cavs to the top of the league, you’d think that all the stars were aligned and a small tweak to the roster would get the Cavs over the hump the following season. But on July 8, 2010, LeBron would appear on ESPN across from Jim Gray and announce that he would head over to Miami and continue his career alongside former NBA Finals MVP in Dwayne Wade and arguably the best big man not named Tim Duncan as Chris Bosh would leave the Toronto Raptors in blockbuster moves of that off-season. In an instant, a new precedent was now taking place in the NBA.
To understand the true gravity of what transpired, you need to really understand the history of the NBA. To this point, we had never seen a current-reigning MVP, coming off of a winning season, leave the franchise they played for. Imagine if Magic Johnson or Larry Bird back in the 1980’s decided to leave to another team after such accolades. It just didn’t happen. This isn’t to say that MVP caliber players didn’t move teams. For instance, Moses Malone and Wilt Chamberlain each went to different teams after their MVP seasons, but these transactions happened through trades. No player in the history of the NBA had won an MVP award one season and left the next season in free agency. I guess you can add one more item to the extensive list of LeBron’s accomplishments.
Or, you can add this to the list of reasons why his legacy is tarnished.
Let’s be honest. Player empowerment is a great thing. But as with any good thing, if left unchecked, exploitation can happen. One of these negative “exploitations” is happening in today’s game in the form of competitiveness, or rather, lack of it. When I watch the game as it is played now, I have to admit, it’s not the same product as before. Don’t get me wrong. I understand all things change and evolve. And I’ve witnessed these changes throughout my 40-plus years as a die-hard basketball fan and a former player (of course, not at the level as these guys). There was once a time where players and teams understood the assignment. The whole purpose of playing the game, for suiting up for 82 games or more if you were good enough to make the playoffs, was to raise the Larry O’Brian trophy in June. Anything less than that was considered a bust. In today’s climate however, there seems to be no true competitive nature in the games. Players seem to be more focused on their individual brand than working on their craft, make strides to improve their skills and set their sights on raising a banner and getting a ring. Instead, the guy that most NBA fans today yell is their greatest of all time, left a contending team to play elsewhere alongside other great players.
This isn’t the mindset I would want from my max player that I’m betting the farm to win a title if I was a franchise owner.
The mindset I want my franchise player to have, is the mindset to overcome obstacles and to face adversity head on, making the necessary adjustment to get better. Some LeBron fans would argue that the Cavs were a trash team. Trash teams do not win 60 games in a season. And the fact is, the Cavs were not a trash team. The real issue was that, for all of his talents and gifts, LeBron James does not seem to handle adversity or challenges well. Just take a look at some of his press conferences or interviews during big losses during the playoffs. Whether he shifts the blame to his teammates or brings up his stats, there just seems to be a total lack of accountability when it comes to LeBron owning the losses as a leader does.
With the move to Miami, you would have thought that would be the end of it. After all, during that Heat press conference where Bosh, James, and Wade, famously walked the runway like some athletic Victoria Secret models, where LeBron would notoriously be remembered belting out “not one, not two, not three, not four…”. You know the rest. And, for his foresight, he was correct…slightly, since LeBron and the Heat would make four consecutive NBA Finals appearances, but only secure two of those countless rings. Not too shabby if you ask me. But LeBron is, well, different. So, when the tide turned in Miami and the heat in the kitchen got too much (no pun intended), LeBron decided that going back home would be the best bet. I’d say the same thing if it meant I was going to a place where I would be paired with another duo of superstars in Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving.
Now back in Cleveland and running side by side with Love and Irving, LeBron had the Cavs back on top of the Eastern Conference, making it to another four straight NBA finals appearances. Unfortunately, those runs would only result in one NBA title as the Western Conference juggernaut that was the Golden State Warriors would prove too much for James and crew to handle. After another four years and four title runs, it was time for LeBron to make another decision. Would he stay with the team that drafted him and took him back after he bolted for greener pastures?
This LeBron James we are talking about. Of course not.
Even though the Cavs were the only team to offer LeBron the most money on a new contract, the bright lights of Los Angeles was just too tempting to turn down and James would once again pack up and make the leap to play for the Lakers in a historic move. Of course, he had a plan in place to bring in some big names as usual. As luck would have it, the Lakers would pull of a blockbuster three-team trade, sending their young core of Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, and Josh Hart, to the New Orleans Pelicans. The Lakers weren’t done doing LeBron’s bidding as they improved the roster by adding 8x all-star center Dwight Howard and four-time all-star and NBA champion point guard Rajon Rondo and in 2020, LeBron and the Lakers would win the NBA title, which is referred to as the “Bubble” championship due to the circumstances of playing during the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic.
LeBron would set a personal record during his eight-year run with the Lakers. No, it wasn’t more titles. He would only secure that one 2020 bubble title, even though he would go on to play with other great players such as Carmelo Anthony and Russell Westbrook. His record? Those eight years would be the longest run James would have with any team he played with. Think about that for a second. The best player in the league never stayed longer than eight years with any team. I don’t think fickle would do justice to describe LeBron’s constant mindset when it comes to…what’s that word that he has tattooed on him? Oh, yes. LOYALTY! But let’s be honest, his stay with the Lakers was less than stellar. Also, the Lakers, unlike other franchises, saw the writing on the wall when it came to LeBron. So, they made another jaw-dropping trade, sending all-star center and good friend, Anthony Davis, to the Dallas Mavericks for the young, budding superstar in Luca Doncic. Yes. You can add Doncic to the list of superstars that LeBron has played with (and spoiler, it doesn’t stop here). And after another early playoff exit, the Lakers felt it was time to move on from the aging, yet still effective player by not offering a contract extension, making LeBron a free agent after the 2025-2026 season.
After 23 seasons, four NBA titles and numerous awards, you’d think that be one hell of a run and James would call it a career. But again, this is LeBron James we are talking about and whether he admits it or not, he’s chasing Michael Jordan to get that coveted greatest of all time designation. So, LeBron decided to do what he does best and head to another contender in the Philadelphia 76er’s. We don’t know how things will go but one thing we do know is that, once again, LeBron has switched jerseys. It’s become a tradition at this point. LeBron has never shown true loyalty to any team he has been a part of. He’s proven himself to be just a gun for hire for the right team with the right personnel. My question is, how can one claim to be the greatest when you’ve jumped around to play on historic teams instead of having historic teams built around you? That doesn’t sound like a player working to become the greatest of all time. That sounds like a player looking to become the greatest MVP-caliber player-for-hire. And that will definitely leave a stain on LeBron’s legacy.
What do you think? Do you feel that LeBron’s legacy isn’t affected by the fact that he’s played for teams that were already in contention or because he won titles with teams that featured multiple all-star caliber players? Or do you think that, in today’s NBA, team hopping is the new norm and shouldn’t affect LeBron’s standing in any way? Leave your thoughts in the comments section. If you like to see more content like this, feel free to subscribe to get notifications on new and upcoming topics. Part 3 will be coming soon!
Leave a Reply