I believe that LeBron wants to be in the thick of it all. He wants to be in New York or New Jersey, where the lights are brighter, the media hype is hyper, and the action never stops. He wants to be in the mecca of entertainment, media and sports, where he can build a legacy that will be remembered for the next 100 years. He wants to play for a team with a bottomless pit of money that comes from a market where the fans will pay any amount to see a champion at his best. That place would be either LA or New York, and he's not going to play next to Kobe.

The NBA needs LeBron in a big city. Another east-coast/west-coast battle between the Knicks and the Lakers would be a remake of the Bird/Magic saga that brought the NBA back from the dead in the early 1980s. If anyone can make the sorry Knicks into champions, it's LeBron. He boosted the Cavs to championship status using a roster that couldn't win in most peewee leagues. Sure, they made some good additions toward the end, but I never felt good about the team they put on the court.

LeBron has always shown the ability to make his teammates better: I first noticed this capability when I saw his little Akron high school team take on the mighty Oak Hill Academy on ESPN. Oak Hill is the kind of school that really isn't a school as much as it's a breeding ground for future NBA super stars. The school's primary reason for being is basketball, unlike LeBron's high school, where they just got lucky enough to get one of the greatest players in history. In spite of the huge differential in talent, LeBron took his teammates to the top of the pile, defeating Oak Hill in one of the most stunning high school games I've ever seen. LeBron truly is the king of basketball and the king needs to be advertised. The NBA knows this, and I am willing to bet my last nickel that they want him out of Cleveland and into a bigger market.

Nike wants LeBron in a bigger city to sell more shoes. Jay-Z wants LeBron in either New York or New Jersey so they can smoke cigars together and pretend that they run the town (which they don't - neither of them has real wealth relative to the billionaires who truly control America). I want LeBron in New York, so I can see how he handles the pressure of the New York media, when the paparazzi take pictures of you at fancy restaurants and spread rumors about who you're dating. The spectacle would be Muhammad Ali-like in caliber, and we'll be discussing it for the next 50 years. LeBron is the Babe Ruth of his generation, and his larger-than-life persona needs room to breath.

Most importantly, LeBron needs to be a champion in order to fulfill his destiny. He won't be a champion in Cleveland. Only a city as big as his image can help him to fulfill his dream. Sorry to the fans in Cleveland, but you had a chance to own a piece of greatness for far longer than the rest of us. Now it's time to share this man with the world.



Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and the author of the new book, "Black American Money." To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.