I know this sounds obvious, but let it sink in for a second.
How easily do we toss a word like “great” around? Such an immense compliment should be reserved for only the most prestigious food, people, skills, accomplishments, etc, yet the word “great” gets used in description routinely.
Most of us will go a lifetime without being great at a single thing; I certainly will. I’m not knocking myself but being realistic. Anything I do well, a large portion of the world can do better.
The world is filled with many people who are extra ordinary and few who are extraordinary.
And this is what makes the extraordinary, remarkable.
It’s not easy for a “LeBron James-hater” to reflect on greatness one day after LeBron’s thrilling last-second winner against Orlando. But LeBron’s shot was symbolic of much more than a change in Game 2’s outcome. The Shot could usher in the King’s Era.
LeBron will undoubtedly monopolize the NBA Championship during his prime. I’m resigned to this fact. However, his surreal performance during the 2009 Playoffs has not only accelerated the process, but also eased the atrocity that I once associated with LeBron’s inevitable reign.
Don’t get me wrong. The man is still a clown; a New York City-Swagger Jacker from the Midwest in the truest sense of the phrase. And much of his game would be illegal by NFL standards—I’ve actually seen Justin Tuck get penalized 15 yards for throwing offensive linemen to the floor in emulation of what LeBron does on his way to the basket.
Plus, I’d be shocked if he hasn’t spent some time with Jose Canseco over the last few years. If he had Allen Iverson’s attitude, he’d have been sitting in front of Congress with Roger Clemens by now.
But if his buffoonery is what I must put up with in exchange for the exceptionally dominant performances by a once-in-a-lifetime talent, it is an exchange I may have to consider. I love sports too much to blindly dismiss what he is accomplishing. Best of all-time is actually in play here. Think about that: of all time.
So I ask… Am I a Witness?
I’ve tried not to be. I root for Carmelo. I root for Kobe. I take pride in finding pictures like this:
where LeBron looks like a genetically-jacked up combination of Barry Bonds, Tank Johnson, and Hulk Hogan, just six years after looking, er, normal.
But it is becoming clearer that those, like myself, uninterested in rejoicing in the LeBron era are simply wasting their energy. I have enjoyed going against the grain during LeBron’s ascension to the top of the sport, but I recognize that I am fighting a losing battle.
I came to a similar realization in 1998, when Michael Jordan eliminated the Reggie Miller-led Indiana Pacers that I was rooting for. I had been so sick of Jordan winning every season.
But following that series, I decided to stop hating, and finally appreciate the greatness that I was witnessing, albeit way too late (No pun intended).
But the sick part? Jordan was 34 years old, completing his final season. LeBron is 10 years younger (!), barely having reached his physical prime.
So again I ask…Am I a Witness?
Unfortunately, I think it’s safe to say that anyone paying attention to the NBA for the next 10 seasons has no choice but to be. The marketing campaign is right; we really are all witnesses.
But for now, I’ll be off hiding in Witness Protection as I wait for this reverse jinx to kick in.
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