Earl Lloyd, First Black NBA Player, Gets Honor At Hawks Game
Is Whitney Houston Joining 'The X Factor'?
Reviews of the saga have been mixed. Yahoo sportswriter Adrian Wojnarowski describes the event like this: " As historic monuments go, this is the Rushmore of basketball hubris and narcissism. The vacuous star for our vacuous times. All about 'Bron and all about nothing."
I don't agree with the writer completely. He seems to have it out for James. We all know that James' announcement is already a huge media event. There's no reason that he and his team shouldn't have the right to profit from it like everyone else. I was surprised to see this move by Team LeBron, but it's not as if he's a nobody.
What's most interesting for James is the fact that the pressure has never been greater on him to win a championship. By engaging in this kind of televised audacity, King James is admitting that his free agent announcement is more important than that of Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade, Amar'e Stoudemire, and all the other talented players across the league. He is saying to the world, "I'm the king, and there's nothing you can do about it." The problem is that he is the king on credit: A man who is declared to be the best player in the NBA is forced by fans to win a title in order to prove it. LeBron has not yet won a title, leaving him unable to fill the shoes he's put on his feet.
Personally, I think that LeBron has done a great deal for the city of Cleveland. I also think that he is the best player in the league and represents the future of the NBA. But by letting go of the image of the humble and reluctant champion, James is stepping out of the warmth of Cleveland support and into the torrential storm of big city pressure.
As one of my friends pointed out to me recently, Cleveland fans have been incredibly loyal to LeBron through the years, and the team's management did all they could to build a strong team around him. The problem is that the city of Cleveland is like the mother who loves her child dearly, while knowing that someone else could give him a better home. In order to keep from looking like one of the great NBA busts of the 21st century, LeBron James needs to win a championship in a city that can afford to help him get one. Major cities have the money to do that, while Cleveland simply does not. Additionally, the added pressure of facing the mighty Celtics next year, along with the powerhouse created by Miami after the signing of both Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade, makes it simply infeasible that LeBron would choose to fight against the power of the league, rather than join up with it.
If LeBron James chooses to stay in Cleveland, he will be proving to everyone that he is one of the most loyal, principled athletes in the NBA. But the problem is that staying in Cleveland could be one of the biggest mistakes of his life. As far as having a TV special surrounding his announcement, it's all part of being the king, which LeBron truly is. But as Spiderman's Uncle once said, "With great power comes great responsibility." LeBron continues to sit on the throne, but the crown will get a little heavier each year that he doesn't win a title.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action Resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here. 
Comments: (22)
Add a comment
By: Cecil Jones on 7/08/2010 1:10AM
I'm wondering if all this LeBron talk was about Shaq? Will Shaq be returning to Cleveland next year? I don't think so, but what can Cleveland with LeBron get for Shaq?
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: benjaylynn on 7/08/2010 9:45AM
Whyyyyyyyyyy so many people are interested in an i-nterracial relations-hip. black woman want to date white man and black guys want to have relationship with white women. There are many sites focusing on this kind of relationships such as "" M i x e d M a t c h i n g . C o m""... recommend it here, check it out "" M i x e d M a t c h i n g . C o m""!!
Report This
By: meanvee on 7/08/2010 1:44AM
I know if lebron leaves, the city of cleveland will be devastated, who will come there? maybe Iverson, shaq, and jermaine o'neal, and instead of being labeled the Big Three, you could call them the "Ol Dirty Bastards".
http://www.GamingConsoleStore.com
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: Jazzbenzo on 7/08/2010 11:40AM
Yes it does...my brother is a good player but all of this is driving me crazy. Brother you can not do it by yourself....
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: OOOZZZZZ on 7/08/2010 9:30AM
Quote from article: " He is saying to the world, "I'm the king, and there's nothing you can do about it."
-------------------------------------------------
Correction, LeBron is the Nike supported self professed and self crowned King who still does not have the leadership abillity or mental ability to build on and win a championship and all this "where am i going to play" media circus mess.......this is so high school and it indicates to me that he is still after 7 years in the NBA, an immature child who has not become a mature and true professional in the NBA.
Forget all this reality show shiggity, the real question is, can he lead a team to winning a championship? Just remember the last two playoff exits by the Cleveland and LeBron attitude in those playoff deciding series? Playing against established superstars, he went soft, did not trust his teammates and could not deliver when it counted. That's who is currently is and he has not solved that puzzle yet, leading his team and handling the pressures of winning in the playoffs.
True professional champions know that they can and do not do or care about things like this because it's not about the frill or "it's all about me", it about the ability to be a leader; take a team, put them on your back, lead them, get the job done and become a champion like Boston's Big Three, Kobe, Tim Duncan, Shaq etc and despite 7 years of failure, he still wilts under the pressure of the bright lights playoffs and has not learned the lessions of previous NBA champions like Kobe Bryant, who has developed into the ultimate winner in the NBA, the best basketball player on the planet and who is also someone that LeBron will not win a championship until Kobe retires.
And the worst part? If Lebron James, after his decision tonight, stays in Clevelend or goes to another team like Miami, New York or Chicago no matter his teammates, if he makes the playoffs and does not win the championship this upcoming season, this off-season "decision" will make him look like the biggest fool in sports.
He has to win the championship next year no matter what with no exceptions......and the other worst part? If he leaves Cleveland and goes elsewhere, he will be with other supertars who were traded (outside of Dwayne Wade who stayed in Miami) who have never won a championship themselves or even played in the playoffs or gone deep into the playoffs.....so his new teammates (despite their all-star status) will be no different than his current Clevelend teamamtes with little or no playoff experience and the fact that he has to start all over again with a new team, new management and a new city.....reciepe for immediate failure and LeBron, despite the regular season success, had never developed into a true leader in Cleveland, hasn't figured out how to win in the playoffs and he takes those undeveloped skills somewhere else.
BOTTON LINE: LeBron has to win the NBA Championship this year and if he doesn't, he will look like an complete idiot and if he leaves Cleveland and does not win a championship with another team, it will be truly shameful.
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: jackie smurf on 7/08/2010 4:34PM
Very well stated! however, if he comes to Miami, he will join two proven winners;Pat Riley, on and off the court and D. Wade-a champion, a leader and someone who has experienced playing deep in the playoffs.
Report This
By: Robert on 7/08/2010 10:46AM
> Which one of our SLAVE MASTERS children will have the most high dollar NEGROES on their plantation > Every year all the NBA does is sell big black slaves to other plantations for money & a white woman > Shame on them for not knowing in 2010 that they are part of the trick > PEACE <
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: Dee on 7/09/2010 9:35AM
This is the most crazy azz comment I ever heard. This person must be a High School drop out.
Report This
By: CBaby23 on 7/10/2010 12:09AM
Respectfully, if that's the case that players in the NBA are slaves, wait a minute, Black players in the NBA are slaves and Massuh is doling them out to the highest bidder, then EVERY person of color in America is a slave only their selling out for a lot less money. Guess that’s where the hating comes in. A job is a job. Anyone of us who've been on a job for any period of time have been shifted to this department, or that location as the company sees fit. And, we all went 'cuz we wanted to keep getting our paychecks. Lebron just happens to be amongst the talented few who gets paid mega millions for doing his job -- playing a game. And, he happens to have a lot more clout on his job than we do. He's an entertainer, so he's in the spotlight more. And, unfortunately, he's trashed daily by media and others because he's a YOUNG BLACK MAN with more power than this racist and crabs in a barrel society is used to, or can handle. Haters use every excuse to hate him yet he's done nothing to harm anyone. Well, except for those who’ve faced him on the basketball court.
Report This
By: JMme on 7/08/2010 10:40AM
Stay healthy my friend... krama shows no mercy. Karma can and will bring you to your knees.
Reply to this Comment | Report This