Don’t take LeBron James for granted

 

 

The NBA geeks out there know that I recycled the title from a line which is often said by Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer. O’Connor’s pleas are sincere reminders to have fans appreciate the present greatness of The King, but the NBA media’s barrage of LeBron content has made some fans grow sick.

Just take a look at this reply to one of O’Connor’s tweets:

 

Considering 80% of media airtime is dedicated to Lebron, I don’t think there’s any danger of that.

— CoolCool (@CCool_CCCool) January 11, 2020

 

Objectively, these trolls are absolutely correct. A Reddit user even proved it by creating this table comparing the amount of social media posts per team and player done by the popular sports publication Bleacher Report. 

 LeBron and his Los Angeles Lakers sit pretty at the top.

There’s an easy argument to be made here: LeBron is the most popular player in the world, on the league’s most popular team, which also happens to be one of the NBA’s best teams. Simple business sense would tell you that promoting your most sought-after product will drive revenue.

However, I understand the sentiments of these so-called trolls. Leveraging on popularity appeals to the casual fans, but it often alienates a large audience in need of their own content.

Like them, I would be thrilled to see 30-second highlight reels of Bradley Beal every other day. But alas, despite being second in the league in scoring, Beal sits near the bottom of the aforementioned chart that LeBron runs away with.

In fact, as a Washington Wizards fan, I grew up absolutely despising the very fiber of LeBron James’ being; I watched him eliminate the Arenas-led Wizards that my pre-teen self was convinced were immortal. 

But I now sit back and consume the barrage of LeBron content without a hint of displeasure. I take in every tomahawk dunk, every no-look pass, every #TacoTuesday, and even every Tiktok with the #JamesGang, simply because I’ve learned to not take LeBron James for granted. 

LeBron is our generation’s submission for the G.O.A.T., and whether or not you believe he could ever reach the same status as Michael Jordan, he’s the closest thing we have to offer.

For people like me in their mid-20s, Jordan was mostly a legend of our dad’s stories and low-definition YouTube clips.  If LeBron is going to be the clear-cut NBA-representative to welcome the next generation to NBA lore, then I’m all for this flurry of elite LeBron content for the sake of my future son or daughter’s NBA fandom.

Especially because LeBron is now 35 years old, and may have just finished his 17th season in the league. It’s absolutely astonishing that he played at an MVP-level last season even while already being No. 3 in NBA history in all-time minutes played. But Father Time always prevails, and for LeBron, it’s slowly rearing its ugly head.

Nevertheless, The King still has a lot more pieces of content to create for us before he’s done. 

There are several milestones for LeBron left to chase, and none may be as high-profile as the all-time scoring leader, a position currently occupied by Kareem Abdul-Jabaar. LeBron has never been known as a prolific scorer, but this accomplishment would be a testament to his longevity, consistency and durability on the basketball court.

 

 

Of course, there’s still the opportunity of adding another ring or two, though it’s a shame that the impending cancelation of this NBA season will likely cost him one of his best chances to do so.

Assuming the season is canceled, this would be a lost opportunity comparable to that of Jordan’s year in baseball, only without it being pre-meditated from LeBron’s side.

There are also still some wild possibilities left. LeBron could recreate his infamous Decision and transfer to yet another franchise when he reenters free agency in 2021.

There’s also the possibility of him and his son, Bronny James, becoming the first ever father-son duo to play in the NBA at the same time. That is, of course, if LeBron manages to continue to play until the 2024-2025 season.

Whenever and wherever he does decide to hang up his No. 23 jersey for the final time, all we’ll have left of LeBron’s incredible basketball career then will be the YouTube clips and Instagram videos. 

So whatever the rest of LeBron’s career may hold, I’m 100% here for it, and so will the rest of the media. Hop on board.  – Rappler.com