not 4, not 5, not 6, not 7 reasons to be happy for lebron

06/22/12 — haters, heat, inspiration, lebron, nba

OMFG I think it just hit me, I'm a CHAMPION!! I AM a CHAMPION!!

—
LeBron James (@KingJames) June 22, 2012

as a knicks fan, i didn’t have a rooting interest in these nba finals (just wanted to see some good games, which i got).  however as a fan of basketball and humanity, it was nice to see lebron finally win his first title because of the growth that it took.

physically not much had changed with mr. james.  still 6’8″ around 260 lbs.  speed and passing ability of a point guard with the girth and strength of a power forward.  able to defend every position on the floor.  able to dominate on both of ends of the floor.  however with all the highlights, division titles and mvps, the chosen one’s narrative had been sullied most notably by his shrinking in big moments.

lebron was able to change his story by making changes in himself.  during the last offseason, he began to develop a post game with hall of famer hakeem olajuwon which helped him get easier buckets for himself and his teammates.  he also showed more aggressiveness.  where in previous years he settled too often for jump shots, this year he leaned more on his physical advantages by driving more in the paint, daring people to try and stop him.  also, instead shriveling in clutch time, he constantly carried his team whenever they needed him most.

closely related to the growth in lebron’s game was his growth as a man.  he talked about how his no-show and subsequent loss in the 2011 finals humbled him, but that seemed to be just the breaking point for issues that ran deeper than last year.  even through his moments of greatness, the 27-year old exhibited some immaturity, arrogance and puzzling insecurity that fed into his inability to fully embrace his vast potential.  however whatever issues he had, he clearly made inroads in solving them in part by seeking help from others.  the results showed up not just in his championship victory, but in his demeanor which exudes a much-needed combo of confidence, humility and peace that was absent in the past.

so let’s be happy for bron because of his progress.  you don’t have to crown him king or even compare him to basketball’s king (yet).  just don’t let anything keep you from appreciating all that he is now and all that he could still become.