Monday, June 15, 2015

LeBron James, The Greatest

Author’s Note from Alex Green – I am not an expert in basketball, the National Basketball Association, or sports writing. I’m just a recent college graduate from Penn State. I didn’t major in anything remotely related to athletics. My degree from the College of Information Sciences and Technology qualifies me to do a lot of things but none of them sports-related. I have been a big fan of Penn State football (now there’s a surprise) so am admittedly not very familiar with what’s been going on in the world of professional basketball for the last few years.

But with school now behind me, I have been catching some of the NHL and NBA finals. And this caught my eye the other day. In case you missed it, and were not sure whether or not LeBron James was the greatest basketball player in the world, he clarified it for you by stating, quite simply, that he is the greatest player in the world. This was in response to a recent question about whether or not the injuries that the Cleveland Cavaliers are currently suffering from have changed LeBron’s thinking in the finals. Well thanks for setting the record straight King James!

See for yourself:

What I found most interesting about this was not that LeBron said this. We have all seen his amazing skill, heard of his unsurpassed work ethic, and seen his many successes. And we know he has never been shy about proclaiming how good he is. What I found most interesting is the non-reaction he has received after saying this….non-reaction from the press, basketball fans, and other players. It’s almost as if people have said yea, not only is he the greatest, but he also has great self-awareness and an uncanny knack for speaking the truth!

From what I have seen, I would have to agree with LeBron. He is the greatest in the world at basketball. But I guess that doesn’t mean people have to like him. And it’s no wonder that many do not. The world has certainly come far from the days of the humble athlete, shy around cameras and the press, who always speaks only of his team.