Lebron James. Kanye West. Both carry outstanding talents in their respective careers. Both have been claimed at one point to be the very best at their positions. Both with ego’s big enough to satisfy the entire cast of Jersey Shore…twice. Both have experienced incredible success. But both have made terrible public decisions that have hindered their otherwise limitless potential.
It began with Kanye blurting out the now infamous words: “George Bush doesn’t care about black people” during a Hurricane Katrina telethon. Some years later, Kanye stormed the stage at the MTV Video Music Awards during Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech for Video of the Year. Although I had no problem with Kanye storming the stage in defense of Beyonce, the public crucified him for ruining the so-called “moment” for Taylor Swift (Who is one of the most overrated artists in music today, but that’s for another time). People in the industry have always supported Kanye West’s talents as a gifted producer and talented rapper. But the incident with Taylor Swift has tarnished Kanye’s potential success with the common music listener.
Lebron James has actually had a much tamer career compared to that of Kanye’s. Lebron, unlike Kanye, has really only made one mistake throughout his whole career. Granted, one, huge, giant, immense, Big Momma’s House sized mistake (seriously, another Big Momma’s House movie? Really?). “The Decision” was seen as a public offering portraying Lebron as some figure he really wasn’t. He’s a basketball star. That’s it. He’s not the President. He can’t hold his own press conference to announce to announce a decision he made. He disrespected his former organization, his former teammates, and his former city and has (for the meantime) ruined his title as the “King.” No one can question his talents, but they way he decided to display where he will play basketball was a joke.
Although both have recently gone through the darkest stages of their careers, it’s now safe to say they are back at the top of their games. Lebron, still loathed by most of the NBA and its fans, has put up huge numbers in Miami (It does help playing with Wade and Bosh) and has brought the Heat on the precipice of something huge. In November, Kanye West released “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy,” his first album since the VMA incident. It has received national praise and if released before the Grammy deadline date would surely be nominated for numerous awards. Kanye has also been hard at work with Jay-Z on a duel album entitled “Watch the Throne,” which drops sometime in March.
After listening through “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” back and through multiple times (41 to be exact), this masterpiece can be seen as a perfect embodiment of the career of Lebron James. In a very symbolic way, each track is a specific stage in the up and down career of the “King.” Both being good friends, it should come as no surprise that both these integral symbols in pop culture today are very much one in the same. Here, with the help of Kanye West, is the career of “King” James:
Dark Fantasy. The career of any athlete begins with one goal: to become world champion. After declaring for the draft out of high school, it was soon after that we knew Lebron would become a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers, a franchise synonymous with mediocrity. A perfect entrance: playing for his hometown team with the entire city behind him. Although living his dream of playing in the NBA, his new goal, winning an NBA Championship, is now a dark fantasy. It’s the K2 of challenges: become an immediate superstar with the weight of a franchise and city behind you. Although being blessed with the greatest combination of physique, speed and instincts in the history of the league, his dark fantasy soon begins.
Gorgeous. It didn’t take Lebron long to become the face of the NBA. He soon caught the attention of the world with his fantastic play for a franchise not known for hoisting world class talents. He quickly became a global icon. Signing with Nike, designing shoes, starring in commercials, putting up great numbers and showing the league what he’s made of, Lebron took the NBA and sports world by storm. Lebron became a gorgeous figure, both on and off the court. He became a global phenomenon. His appeal to every type of NBA fan; from young to old, white to black, East to West; made Lebron the most sought after sports figure in American society to date. His soon developed relationships with Jay-Z and Kanye West became public, and it was clear, this kid is here to stay.
Power. As Lebron took the league by storm, it soon became apparent that he had the “power”. The league soon became the Lebron show. Yes, there was Kobe, there was Shaq, there was Carmelo, there was Dwyane Wade, there was Andris Biedrins (just making sure your paying attention)…but even though the league was full of stars, we are a society of the newest and freshest. Why does Apple make new iPhones every year? Society craves the latest and greatest. Lebron fit the bill. New, fresh, hot, entertaining; Lebron carried all the traits of the iPhone 4 (without the reception problems). Whatever Lebron did, the kids wanted to do. Whatever he worse, listened to, watched; the kids wanted to be Lebron. He had all the power in the world, and like Lebron driving in the paint, he couldn’t be stopped.
All of the Lights. As Lebron grew and matured as a player, so did his team. The Cavs quickly became relevant again and the playoffs (“Playoffs!!!!?????”) became a reality. The lights became brighter as Lebron became greater. Any rookie can come in the league and put up great stats, but they have to take their game to the upper echelon, the playoffs, to truly become a legend. The ball was in Lebron’s court now. High flying dunks and acrobatic plays can only take you so far (Ahem…Vince Carter). All of the lights were now on Lebron. With every playoff series came the same thought: If he never wins a title, he’ll never become a legend. This questioning began early in his career, and has continued on to this day. All of the lights were very much bright, and to this day, the lights still are on.
Monster. There has been one performance that has stood out in Lebron’s pursuit of greatness: Game 5 against the Detroit Pistons in the 2007 Playoffs. The term “monster” could have been applied to Lebron earlier in his career, but greatness in the playoffs overshadows the regular season any day. Facing a stout Pistons defense (sounds funny nowadays huh?); Lebron scored his then (and current) playoff high 48 points. Great game right? How about one of the greatest playoff performances ever? If the 48 points weren’t enough, King James carried his team by scoring his team’s final 25; which included the end of the 4th quarter, OT and 2OT. Every great player has his “moment,” the moment where he officially arrives. The moment where we say: “This guy could become great”. On that night, we could say Lebron arrived, and he was a monster in every way imaginable.
So Appalled. Although Cleveland became a perennial playoff team since his drafting, Lebron was unable to bring a title to his hometown team. It soon became obvious that there was a good chance that Lebron could leave the Cavs after the 09/10 season. The idea of Lebron leaving Cleveland was non-existent to Cavs fans though: “Could he really leave his hometown team?” “No way…he’s OUR guy!” The ship seemed to have sailed once the Cavs were trounced by Boston in the playoffs that year. Lebron’s body language, the way his team played during the series and his un-willingness to harness his crown was clearly displayed. We saw it coming. The end was near for Lebron in Cleveland. “The Decision” only heightened the anger of Cavs fans, and they more than anyone were so appalled at what they were seeing, and what would soon come.
Devil In A New Dress. It took Lebron just one sentence to change the entire sporting landscape. As an outside observer, most weren’t surprised by his decision to leave Cleveland. For Cleveland fans, well, it didn’t take long for their newfound hatred to the so called “King” to be displayed publicly. Videos of shocked Cleveland fans at local bars and the burning of his jerseys were uploaded on YouTube in the hundreds. For Miami fans, it was the greatest day of their lives. Lebron, Wade AND Bosh? Impossible to fathom early in the off-season. “The Decision” might as well been named “The Public Crucifixion of Cleveland.” Although most agreed that Lebron was good as gone, it was his public display of arrogance and egotism that caught the world off guard. Why hold this public offering at all when a simple press conference or phone call would have sufficed? Why hold it at a Boys & Girls Club in Connecticut of all places? His ego got the best of him. He thought he was bigger than what he really was. What did the world think of Lebron when he made his decision? Well, just a devil in a new dress.
Runaway. Lebron was one of the most universally loved figures in all of sports before “The Decision”. He was used to being the good guy, the one people rooted for, the one people paid extra to see, the new Michael Jordan, the new face of the NBA. He was in no way prepared to become the runaway of the league. It became clear soon after “The Decision” that Lebron would no longer be so universally loved, but rather a symbol of arrogance and stupidity. In his first game as a member of the Miami Heat, Lebron was rewarded with a barrage of boo’s that he had never heard before in his life. He was now alone. Even though he shared the spotlight with two other superstars (Yes, I consider Bosh a superstar), the Heat became “The Lebron Show”. Has he embraced the role of the villain? “I enjoy it,” LeBron said, “I’m very comfortable. I’ve kind of accepted this villain role everyone has placed on me. I’m OK with it. I accept it.” We’ll see Lebron, we shall see.
Hell Of A Life. What became one of the most historic off-seasons in NBA history quickly came to an end with the Lebron decision. The hype was over. The decision was made, and the world had to live with it. It was now time to talk ball. What seemed liked minutes after Lebron made his decision; NBA pundits began claiming them as the best team ever, a dynasty, an 80 win team and basically writing off the rest of the NBA. Why not? The Heat acquired two superstars to join their already spectacular superstar of their own. Lebron, Wade, Bosh: the new super team in the NBA. Three of the most talented players in the league joining forces? Unheard of. With all the cap limitations and luxury tax rules how was this possible? Well, they have three superstars and nine serviceable players, that’s how. Never has so much individual been constructed onto one team; a truly historic event in the history of the NBA happened. Lebron joined forces with his two friends in South Beach and they were about to live a hell of a life.
Blame Game. “Who’s fault” are the first words uttered by Kanye West in the song. Whose fault was it? How could this super team happen? Who do we blame for this madness? Well, we could blame the Cavs. They failed to acquire the right players to compliment Lebron and push them to championship level. Dan Gilbert’s obsession with J.J. Hickson restricted them from acquiring a talent like Amare Stoudemire and instead acquired players like Antawn Jamison, Ben Wallace, Mo Williams and Zydrunas Ilgauskas. We could blame the sheer desperation of numerous teams in the NBA. The Knicks, Heat, Bulls (just to name a few) all tried to clear as much cap space as possible in their pursuit of the “King”. The Knicks, the most successful in clearing up space, failed to lure Lebron, but they got a nice consolation prize in the aforementioned Amare. Finally, we could blame Pat Riley. The legendary former coach and NBA executive was the mastermind behind this plan. He lured Lebron and Bosh. What he said to them is unknown, but to lure two superstars to his team was remarkable. A simple decision soon became a blame game.
Lost In The World. Soon after “The Decision” the Heat held a ridiculous welcoming party for their new superstars. They were now entirely enthralled in their new “Us Against The World” mentality. They were lost in their own world. They thought they could coast by the regular season, coast through the playoffs and coast to a NBA championship. “Not two, not three, not four, not five, not six, not seven!” Yeah, Lebron seemed pretty confident in his new team to say the least. They found out soon enough, in their first regular season game, that you have to beat the best to become the best. Boston held the Heat to a mere nine points, yes, that’s not a typo, NINE points in their first quarter of play. Boston embarrassed the lost and confused Heat as they mopped the floor with the quickly crowned super team. This was a clear shot in the arm as the Heat soon found out that talent alone can’t win titles. They were lost in their own world, and only they can get themselves out of it.
Who Will Survive In America. The road to the NBA championship is a long and grinding journey. There will be successes, there will be failures. There will be winning streaks, there will be losing streaks. There will be injuries, there will be grittiness. There will be disappointment, there will be surprises. Only the strongest survive. The team with the greatest amount of unity, harmony and chemistry complimented by a great basketball philosophy will win the championship. Who will survive? We still don’t know. What we do know is the similarities between the two biggest egos in pop culture today. A sir King James and one Kanye Omari West. Don’t let their arrogance get in the way of their greatness. If you already respect the greatness, keep doing so. If you can’t stand them, well, keep on hating, because honestly, they could care less. They adopt this hatred with open arms, and the more you hate the better. Keep on hating, and they’ll keep doing their thing. Greatness personified: Lebron James and Kanye West.
POSTED BY: J-RAM
What do you define as greatness? Because its a far stretch for both of these guys.
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ReplyDeleteWell, greatness is a matter of opinion, but I define it as being exceptional for an extended period of time at any particular craft. In Lebron's case, he's arguably the best player in the NBA, and has been one of the top players in the league since his drafting. He has the respect of his peers and is widely considered to be one of the top of his craft. Because he hasn't won a title yet shouldn't take away from his individual skill. The great thing about Lebron is he's still only 26. I think a lot of the Lebron "haters" will back off a little bit once he wins a title, which I think he will soon.
ReplyDeleteIn Kanye's case it's very similar. He has won 14 Grammy's, has released multiple critically acclaimed albums, and has great respect from his peers. I think his ego gets in the way and distracts from his craft (much like Lebron and "The Decision"). Like Lebron, you may like him or hate him, but you can't deny his talents.
No doubt Lebron is one of the best in the NBA, and has respect from his peers. But arguments can be made all around the table about who is the best in the league or who is the greatest. But there are alot of "great" players in the league. Kevin Garnett, Chris Paul at their positions and even Kevin Love might break the all time consecutive double double record, does that make him great? I think greatness is reserved for a select few who display their greatness on the biggest stage. i.e. His teamate Dwayne Wade, who averaged 40 points a game down 0-2 to the Mavs in the 06 finals, a Mavs team who had the best record in the league. We know Lebrons finals experience includes being swept out, and some other elimination game let downs, where people where calling him a quitter. This sounds like Dirk Nowitzki to me, the regular season hero!!
ReplyDeleteLets be real though the self proclaimed KING only wants to be compared to the best ever, Michael Jordan, and probably Kobe Bryant...Kobe in his 8th year was wrapping up his first 3 peat, and Jordan Was on his way to his first 3 peat. Lebron used to Dance and take pics on the sidelines in Cleveland....Then the philanthropist in him decided to go to the boys and girls club in Greenwich, Connecticut, probably the richest neighborhood in the country to make his "Decision". I think he brings the hate on himself, and in order to be "Great" I think he has some work to do.