Contract Your Ego - The Plea Letter

“I take the game seriously because I’m trying to carry on the legacy that great players before me left. It’s all about competing, about trying to be the best. It’s also important to me to make the team I’m on now the best. I don’t want to go ring-chasing, as I call it; you know, going to a team that’s already pretty established and trying to win a ring with them. I want to play with the Cavs and build a champion.” ESPN The Magazine January 16 2006.

Dear “Chosen One”,

We are forgiving but this is getting out of hand. We wanted to help you but even you’re beyond our help now. How times have changed. You were once showered with love and adoration wherever you travelled. Now you face so much resent and are held in such disgust that gives one the impression that you are the sole reason for global warming.

We know you’re pretty good. At the young age of 18 you were drafted straight out of high school as the number one pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2003 NBA. You even signed a shoe contract with Nike before your debut. You’ve achieved so many accolades and received numerous awards; High-school State Champion, Triple Mr. Basketball of Ohio, All-Star, All-NBA, Rookie of the Year, back-to-back Most Valuable Player, Olympic Gold Medal winner.

In just your fourth season in the NBA you led the Cavs to their franchise-first NBA Finals after defeating Detroit in the Eastern Conference Finals in 6 games. You were against a 0-2 deficit and in Game 5 you recorded a franchise-record 48 points on 54.5% field goal shooting, to go with 9 rebounds and 7 assists. In addition, you scored 29 of Cleveland's last 30 points, including the team's final 25 points in a double-overtime victory. You concluded the night with a game-winning lay-up with 2 seconds left which left NBA analyst Marv Albert to describe your performance as "one of the greatest moments in postseason history," while color commentator Steve Kerr called it "Jordan-esque.”

You must hate the C’s. They bounced you and the Cavs twice out of the last three playoffs despite so much promise. In the 2007-08 playoffs you scored 45 points in the decisive seventh game. Except Paul Pierce’s 41 points led to a narrow Celtic victory. Then, after gaining the best regular season record for the second straight season, you were bounced again by the C’s who inflicted Cleveland their worst home playoff loss in team history 120-88.  It was the past playoff failures at the hands of the Celts that triggered all the “Summer Fallout” that capitulated in “The Decision”.

Recently, you came out and suggested that the NBA should consider contraction. You pointed out “the league was great (before). It wasn’t as watered down as it is (now).”

Now ask yourself this- “What should I do? Should I contract my overinflated ego?”

Who are you to decide who can or can’t play in the NBA as if you are paying player salaries out of your own pocket like you’re George Steinbrenner.

Who are you to even claim yourself as the “Chosen One”? It sure as hell wasn’t by us.

This is not the first nor is it likely to be the last time that you decide to voice your loud-mouthed opinion as if you’re the Reverend Al Sharpton offering salvation to all of the basketball-damned.

It wasn’t the Decision to depart Cleveland and take your “talents” to South Beach in playing with close friends, Wade and Bosh, that led us to look at you with contempt. After the Cavs fired Mike Brown in trying to appease the Chosen One and his worship, you decided in all your wisdom (if any) to have a one-hour long “special” to publicly upset and disappoint your masses (this doesn’t suggest that we condone any violence resulting from your selfishness). Then to further rub salt into the wound, Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe points out that you and “the Heat threw quite a party” with a wrestling-themed entrance “with confetti streaking down in what was a laughable bit of self-indulgence.” In attempting to defend your egocentric actions, you answered on CNN that race played a role in the backlash to your decision

There’s so much more; you ordered organizers to confiscate video tape of you being dunked on by Xavier University guard Jordan Crawford at your Skills Academy.

You reportedly, strongly considered playing in Europe for Olympiacos if offered a $50 million annual salary. Yeah, what a competitor you are to take all that money and play in Europe. Is it mind on the money or money on the mind Chosen One?

You changed your jersey number from 23 to 6 in respect to Jordan (who our main man was disguised as when he dropped 63 points against the ’86 Celtics) and failed to recognise the impact that Bill Russell had not only on sport but also on Civil Rights. Remember when you said that it’s important to know the history of the game in helping its evolution? You said that you realize that it’s past players who are the reason for where you are today.

This season you “unintentionally” bumped into Heat coach Erik Spoelstra during a timeout in a lose to Dallas. Was it also “unintentional” when you bumped into Cavs coach Mike Brown when you played for Cleveland?

When did you become such a self-centered spoilt-brat who protests every call and carries on with this kind of subversive behaviour? You have become an “egomaniacal, self-absorbed, narcissistic blowhard who calls himself the King” as Tony Massarotti states. Maybe it was after you felt betrayed and unable to trust anyone anymore when your high school coach Keith Dambrot betrayed the team when he left St. Vincent-St. Mary to coach at the University of Akron.

You were once a light-hearted character who played with zest and enthusiasm. We saw More Than A Game. We miss that LeBron. The LeBron that loved his team mates and coach both on and off the court. You were the Fab Five. They weren’t just teammates, they were life friends. Maybe they can help you now.

Your New Year’s resolution should be to be more humble and unassuming. Start by entering this year’s Dunk Contest in LA.

It was our idea that you do the dunk contest to appease your fans and gain some support. We are believers of free will and thought you would have come to the conclusion on your own to enter. You were scheduled to compete in your rookie year but injured your ankle. Think of it as fulfilling destiny. Don’t offer this nonsense and drivel about home court and it being a challenge. You don’t have to win. Just do it for the fans. Without them, you would not be able to make a living. Think of someone else for a change. What would you do without basketball?


Sincerely,


The Basketball Gods

PS. Happy 26^th Birthday. Last question to ask yourself; What should I Do? Should I grow up?