I was surprised to hear that Team LeBron was planning to take what's normally a relatively simple process and turn it into a made-for-TV special. Thursday night at 9 p.m., a one-hour special about James' free agent decision is set to air. At the end of the special, LeBron will make the big announcement, telling the world where he'll spend the next few years of his basketball career. Yippee.

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.