Cat-5 Superstar

“All the people that were rooting on me to fail, at the end of the day they have to wake up tomorrow and have the same life that they had before they woke up today. They have the same personal problems they had today. I’m going to continue to live the way I want to live and continue to do the things that I want to do with me and my family and be happy with that. So they can get a few days or a few months or whatever the case may be on being happy about not only myself, but the Miami Heat not accomplishing their goal. But they got to get back to the real world at some point.”

LeBron James, June 2011

Well, he did it. Congrats, LeBron. Well done.

I do mean that. 

You were a Cat-5 Superstar in the post-season. You were everything, most people who watch basketball knew you could be, if you ever put it all together.

It doesn't make previous criticisms of you or your failings invalid. No, they were spot on. And deserved.

And just like you said LAST year, I woke up on Friday, and MY life was pretty much, exactly as I left it, even with you wiping the champagne out of your eyes.

But now you have changed the narrative.

You were dominant.

You were clutch.

You were calm when others might have lost their heads.

The scary-good, Mike Meyers "blank face" game 6 in Boston?

Masterpiece.

The limp-legged, cramp-game, clutch 3-pointer?

Now the stuff of legend.

Enjoy your summer. I know you will. 

That said, I'm still not a "fan." Because here's the thing, in sports you don't have to "like" everybody. You don't have to "root for" a player just because, he's great.

I tip my cap to your greatness.

But you still aren't really my cup of tea. Which is understandable. My generation and your generation will likely never see eye to eye. 

Guys my age grew up on a tattoo-less NBA, that wasn't nearly as corrupt and unfairly tilted towards free agents and the "big market preference" of the league's marketing bosses.

It is why many of us were rooting for Kevin Durant and the small market Thunder instead. They sorta reminded us of the late 80's/early 90's NBA.

Much of it, is beyond your ability to change. Some of it, is.

So if you want to win us over, just a bit more, keep showing some humility when the issue at hand doesn't really matter in the big scheme of things.

Don't shoulder bump your head coach during a timeout, and pretend it was just an accident.

Don't confiscate grainy footage of a pick-up game, just because a kid dunked on/near you.

Don't wear any more shirts reminding people that you just won the MVP.

Don't make fun of opposing players by pretending to be sick.

Stop fucking flopping.

It's all so BENEATH you.

Be cool. So cool, that when you walk around people have to wonder: "Does LeBron even KNOW how awesome he is?"

Less is more.

Keep growing up. You've come a long way. But there is a longer road still ahead.

You promised "Not one.... not two...."

If you put that big fat SEVENTH banner up there, well then, we might just be saying "Michael who?"