Miami Heat superstar Lebron James is the most polarizing player in the NBA today. In a short period of time he went from Cleveland's hometown hero and face of the NBA, to a national villain and a playoff failure.
He tried to create a dynasty in Miami. The only thing he did was further alienate his fan base.
But with the NBA lockout in full effect, Lebron has a unique opportunity change the nation's perception of him—and change the course of history.
Fall From Grace
Lebron was supposed to be the heir to Michael Jordan's throne as the next great basketball icon.
But after the debacle with ESPN and after a bad performance in the 2010 NBA Finals, his reputation has taken a considerable hit.
Instead of "the greatest," fans and media types labeled him "overrated" and "choke artist."
A lot of his popularity was based on his being the man in Cleveland and staying in Cleveland. It was his team. He had the spotlight, he carried the load.
There is respect that comes with that. Michael Jordan did it, Magic did it, and Bird did it. Sure, they had great players around them. But they did not join other NBA superstars and take over a team.
When Lebron left Cleveland and joined Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami, he lost that respect. It didn't help in the manner he chose to leave .
He stabbed an entire fan base in the back. The nation noticed. So did the media.
James did not expect the backlash that he got. He underestimated his own star power. He thought he could do what he wanted and still be beloved.
But this negativity will be with him for the rest of his career regardless if he wins a championship or not.
Unless he flips the script.
Lebron James needs to do something drastic to change his image and retake his place among the heroes of the game. He should spearhead an effort to end the NBA lockout.
The NBA is in Trouble
Sports fans just went through a lockout with the NFL. Let's be honest: The NBA is not the NFL.
There is no guarantee that fans will come back. It doesn't have a place in the collective psyche of the nation like the NFL does.
This lockout is the biggest threat to the NBA since the league’s drug problem of the '70s and early '80s.
I'm not an NBA insider. I do not pretend to know the ins and outs of the NBA lockout. But I am a fan of basketball and I think I know how the average fan feels.
In short, fans don't care. They don't care who is right or wrong. They just want to see basketball on TV again. You know, because the average fan cannot afford to actually go to a game.
The average fan sees billionaires and millionaires bickering over money. If one of those millionaires stood up and spoke on the fan’s side—the right side—it would be a momentous occasion.
That is what Lebron should do. He should call a press conference, stand up and demand an end to the lockout. He alone has the clout to do it.
Salvation
Despite a tremendous dip in popularity, Lebron James is the most powerful athlete in the NBA. He is arguably one of the most powerful athletes, period.
As we all learned from Spiderman, "With great power comes great responsibility." For Lebron, that responsibility is for the greater good.
Lebron needs to come out and condemn the lockout. In doing so he would be saving the NBA from itself.
He does not need to take sides, but he does need to do more than tweet that the lockout sucks. He should get a group of his NBA superstar friends, hold a press conference and say "Let's end this."
Then they should all go in a room with the owners and not come out until a compromise is reached.
Like the NFL did at the zero hour because they had to.
Except this would be different. This would be Lebron James facilitating an end to the lockout because he wanted to. Fans would rejoice. The media would applaud him. He would be the savior of the NBA.
Just like he was supposed to be back in his Cleveland days.
Sure, some of his peers, and the union, might be upset. So what. He is Lebron James. What are they going to do?
You think Michael Jordan or Larry Bird cared what their peers really thought. The only thing they cared about was beating the pants off their peers. Winning was the only thing to them.
Redemption
Winning should be the only thing on Lebron’s mind, too.
He needs to win. He needs the season to happen to do this. How else can he be redeemed for his playoff flop? How else can he restore the luster to his tarnished image?
He needs to play the season out, re-establish his dominance, go back to the finals, and win.
If he wants to win back fans, he needs to make this known.
Fans have lumped Lebron into the spoiled, self absorbed, athlete club. Maybe he doesn't care. But it seems like he does.
Winning alone will not change this perception.
But facilitating the end of the lockout, based on his burning desire to win, would get the fans' attention. It would inspire them.
In their view, Lebron would have his priorities in the right place. He would be saying what fans want to hear from their sports icons.
What other athlete has ever done this? No one.
By doing this he would be reclaiming his position as "King James."
The player that was supposed to lead the NBA back to the heights of popularity achieved in the Jordan era. Fans in every city would once again love Lebron James, and they would flock to NBA arenas to see him.
Lebron would truly live up to the expectation that he was going to be the “savior” of the NBA. At the same time he would achieve the redemption that I believe he needs.
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