Love or hate him, appreciate LeBron James while you can.
Photo by Mark J. Terrill, Associated Press
As one of the most polarizing players in all sports, LeBron James is largely either loved or hated by NBA fans, and most do not find themselves in between with him. No matter what side of the LeBron aisle you fall on, people love to be a fan of him or a fan of rooting against him.
I was born and raised a Detroit Pistons fan. Detroit is known as the team that was one of James' original rivals in the league as he began to come into his own as a superstar.
Detroit fans typically aren't fans of James after watching him dismantle what was left of the mid-2000s Pistons' run in the playoffs. In Game Five of the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals, James scored 29 of his team's last 30 points over the last 16 minutes, including the eventual game-winner in overtime.
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This was and is, to this day, one of the best performances I have ever seen. For James, the moment was one of his first real career-defining moments. It helped lead him to his first NBA finals appearance and effectively won over this Pistons fan with the way he willed his team to the championship that season past a talented Detroit team.
Fast forward now to the present. James is now entering Year 20 in the Association as a four-time NBA champion, four-time NBA Finals MVP, and four-time league MVP. He is also only 1325 points away from passing legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the NBA's all-time leading scorer.
Aside from a few injuries that have caused him to miss some time over the last few years (surprising as he has been so durable over his career), his game on the court only seems to be evolving. Rather than fall victim to Father Time, he works constantly to improve his game, even as one of the best the NBA has ever seen.
The Jordan vs. LeBron comparison has always been a big talking point throughout LeBron's career, and I am not here to dive into that. What needs to be said is that nobody has ever been as great as James for as long in the history of the NBA.
When it is all said and done, he will be the all-time leading scorer in the league's history (most likely at some point in this upcoming season) and top-5 in assists. These two lists are not exactly synonymous with each other and further speak to the greatness of James.
Photo by Ashley Landis; Associated Press
Off the court, his philanthropy work speaks for itself. It is hard to dislike what he does off the floor with ventures like opening a school in his hometown of Akron, Ohio, and giving back to his community in many ways. In addition, he has never found himself in trouble and has been married to his high school sweetheart, whom he eventually had three children with. By all means, James has been a model citizen throughout his time as an ascending NBA legend.
Now, while on the verge of personal history heading into this season, he has another goal: getting the LA Lakers back to the postseason. He has often spoken about his aspirations of playing in the NBA with his sons, Bronny and Bryce James, who are draft-eligible in a few seasons.
This would be just another notch in his all-time great belt. So we should all appreciate, enjoy and soak it all in with LeBron James as we witness greatness.
