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| Le Bron James has taken the NBA by storm.
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LeBron James is a basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers; LeBron James is a 21 year-old kid; LeBron James is the best 21 year-old basketball player of all time; LeBron James is poised - by no means guaranteed, but poised - to become the greatest player ever, period.
Don't take this statement lightly. I grew up a die-hard Bulls fan during the good years, so I know exactly what the G.O.A.T. looks like. No way is LeBron there yet. No way is he close. But on his 21st birthday, His Airness was playing his junior season at North Carolina. Back to the question at hand
LeBron James entered the league (at 18) as by far the most ridiculously overhyped draft pick in league history. He had already been on the cover of Sports Illustrated, during his junior year of high school. Headline: "The Chosen One: High school junior LeBron James would be an NBA lottery pick right now." (Feb. 18, 2002)
He actually graced the SI cover twice more before appearing in an NBA game: a small photo as #101 of the 101 Most Influential Minorities in Sports (May 5, 2003); then alone and in uniform for the NBA Preview Issue, with the headline "The Importance of Being LeBron" (Oct. 27, 2003). Hype. So much hype, there was no way he could live up to it.
LeBron James is one of three players in NBA history to average at least 20 points, five rebounds and five assists in his rookie season. The other two: Oscar Robertson and Michael Jordan. He started keeping good company early in his career. Oh yeah, did I mention he was 19 when he won Rookie of the Year?
LeBron James lived up to the hype. In many ways, he exceeded - and continues to exceed - expectations. Barring injury or unexpected decline, he will probably break every single "youngest to score X points" record that exists. More impressive was his team-first attitude. Yet people wanted more, began to expect more. He was criticized for his shooting - 41.7% in Year 1 - and his defense. So 'Bron worked on his game.
In Year 2 he averaged a ridiculous 27.2 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.2 assists, shooting 47.2%. He also added 2.21 steals. His defense remains a work in progress - he is so athletic that he's bound to do damage in the passing lanes, but he needs be a better man-to-man defender.
LeBron James is third in the NBA in scoring at 30.8 this year. Most years that would lead the league, but Allen Iverson and Kobe Bryant have just been ridiculous (breaking 40 eight and nine times this year, respectively). He'd rather not be scoring that much, but he's been forced to take up scoring slack due to slow starts on the part of off-season acquisitions Donyell Marshall and Larry Hughes.
Despite being forced to shoot more, LeBron has once again improved his shooting percentage - to 50.1%. Though his increased scoring has forced decline in some other statistics, he is still a triple-double threat on a nightly basis and a candidate for MVP if his team continues their success.
LeBron James still has a ways to go. He would be the first to tell you that to be a leader, and ultimately take his team to the promised land, he'll have to work hard at his game: "I have to show I'm dedicated to improving as a playerÉ Last year, I felt defenders were slacking off me too much, just playing me to drive. I shot jumpers over the summer until my shoulders started to hurt."
That's the attitude you want to see in your young star. Next summer it needs to be defense. His offensive game is at such a high level already - there are things that can improve, certainly, but nothing that immediately jumps to mind - but he can still be beaten on defense and occasionally looks lost. LeBron has given us every reason to believe that he will work hard to change that by next season.
LeBron James has yet to play in the playoffs. Nobody is putting the blame for that on him - he simply hasn't had much of a team around him. Still, until he plays in the NBA's second season, it's pointless to compare him to the greats.
This year ought to be LeBron's first postseason appearance - assuming Marshall can bring his shooting percentage above 40% and Hughes can get healthy - and every NBA fan is excited to see what happens. Even without playing in the league's second season he has hit some big shots for the Cavs, and he'll almost certainly raise his game when playoff time comes around.
LeBron James is David Stern's fantasy. He has the squeaky-clean, good son image that the NBA desperately needs in its major star. He knows and respects the history of the game. He is charismatic and well spoken.
He has fun. He apparently ad-libbed his most recent commercials, in which he plays four different LeBrons - the kid, the player, the businessman and the wise old man - which he says, "are the four ways I act."
LeBron James is a beautiful thing to watch. He makes basketball look easy. He is as athletic and explosive a performer as basketball has ever seen. In so many ways, he has the opportunity and ability to fill a void left empty since Jordan's departure: pre-eminent player in the league, obvious #1 superstar. He has the talent. He appears to have the desire and work ethic to become great, but 191 games do not a legendary career make.
There's a lot of improving and - more importantly - winning to be done before LeBron reaches true NBA greatness. Still, it's fun to imagine the possibilities, and for King James they're endless. He shows every indication that he will continue to work hard and get better.
I wonder what I'll say in twenty years when someone asks me who was the best player in NBA history:
LeBron James?
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