The Decision

It’s been a couple of weeks now since Lebron James’ infamous “Decision” on ESPN, and I remain transfixed by both the fact of the event (full disclosure: I didn’t watch “The Decision”, since I am of course superior to all those mere mortals who indulge in television while I water my ornamental vegetable garden, but read about it and listened to sports radio about it obsessively) and the public response/backlash. I have read and heard numerous credible theories as to why Lebron James is now a certifiable schmuck, my favorite of which is ESPN “Sportsguy” Bill Simmons’ argument that the NBA has always obeyed the unwritten code of pick-up basketball that requires the two best players on the court to be on separate teams, although last I checked the Lakers and Celtics weren’t playing shirts vs. skins in the Finals. I also don’t seem to recall Simmons suggesting the original Magic-Bird-Jordan Dream Team give back their gold medals, or that they should at least have let Jordan play for Russia to make things fair.

But amidst all of the conspiracy theories and Lebron bashing, which are a huge part of how fantastically entertaining the whole Lebron “Decision” process has been, I have yet to hear a convincing argument as to why Lebron chose to announce his decision on “The Decision.” Many have been quick to label Lebron a narcissist, and while I am certain that Lebron has quite the healthy ego, nothing that came before “The Decision” matches this diagnosis. Narcissists generally have lengthy resumes (see one Terrell Owens). You don’t go from all around good guy, which is how everyone perceived James prior to “The Decision”, to the antichrist in one week of free agency.

The consensus is also that James and his advisors completely misread the public in hatching their plan for announcing “The Decision.” Perhaps they did, as I don’t believe they intended to turn James into a villain as if he were fan favorite Andre the Giant morphing into villain mode to challenge Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania. But our misunderstanding of what actually took place during “The Decision” trumps any of Team Lebron’s missteps. Lebron celebrated “The Decision” because he understood, correctly, that at this moment in time he was at the peak of his powers. We all whiffed on that, and proceeded to pile on with every endorsement of Lebron-as-narcissist, because of how we have always understood the source of the athlete’s power; Michael Jordan sold oceans of Gatorade and countless Nikes precisely because of his on-court game. But Lebron is a different beast. He is a cultural icon who just happens to play basketball.



Some observers have attempted to belittle James for taking a shortcut to greatness by joining Wade in Miami. These observers claim that James can only cement his greatness by winning championships as The Man, and that joining Wade’s heat removes this option from the table. But what “The Decision” clearly tells us is that Lebron does not regard winning NBA championships as the ultimate accomplishment. For Lebron, holding the entire destiny of a sport in his hands, as he so clearly did this summer, was a far grander achievement than winning mere basketball games, championships notwithstanding. It was an achievement worthy of a cultural icon, something beyond the championship athlete, whose ranks include Lebron’s new partner, Dwayne Wade.

And on many levels, Lebron was exactly right. We all obsessed over “The Decision” not because we really cared which team Lebron chose, because really, outside of Ohio, who cares, but because we were enthralled by the mystique of someone who was in complete control. Which made the Lebron backlash inevitable, because under all that cover of rejecting Lebron for his betrayal, his narcissism, his competeitive cowardice, we really resent Lebron because he became exactly what he wanted to be: ubiquitous. With “The Decision”, Lebron transcended basketball and ascended to the heavens. We all now hate him for leaving us down here while his star shines brightly somewhere close to Elvis Presley’s. If Lebron keeps it up, just like the Beatles he too will be able to accurately say that he’s “more popular than Jesus.” Jesus, after all, was but the King of the Jews. Lebron’s moniker “The King” gives him a little more wiggle room as to whom he might rule.