LeBron's Legacy Will be Decided On the Court
Sean Deveney - SportingNews.com
Jul 09, 2010
For years, LeBron James has made it clear that, as much as he is a basketball star and an athlete of iconic status, he is also a hometown kid who has stayed true to his roots in Akron, Ohio. It was a point he stressed in "Shooting Stars," the book he did with author Buzz Bissinger, and it was something he reiterated when he received the MVP award in May -- an event that took place at the University of Akron.
"Since I was a kid, I always said I'd find a way to put Akron on the map," James said then.
On Thursday, shortly after James announced his decision to leave the Cavaliers (who play just 40 miles north of Akron) to play for the Miami Heat, a quick check showed that Akron is, indeed, still on the map. So is Cleveland. Both cities will survive. But that whole backstory that James has meticulously woven, the notion that he remains a Northeast Ohio kid even as the slings and arrows of outrageous celebrity have attempted to bring him down -- well, that story has been torched to ashes and James' legacy forever dented because of it. James can bring his close friends to Miami. But most of Ohio won't soon forgive this.
"It's heartfelt for me, and it's hard to explain," James said of his decision to leave Ohio. "But the seven years that I gave to that franchise was everything. ... I never wanted to leave Cleveland. My heart will always be in that area."
Still, subtract spurned Ohioans and James is still left with a sizable global fan base. True, some around the country will be turned off by James' dagger-in-the-back act with the Cavs, for whom he did not win a championship or, even, a single Finals game. And the spectacle that this summer's free-agent decision became -- the build-up, the waiting and, finally, the one-hour ESPN infomercial -- certainly made James look like a classless self-promoter to many.
But, don't forget, James has been answering questions about this summer's decision for two years -- in fact, it wasn't him, but those of us who repeatedly asked him about the decision that made this, "The Decision." The obsession with him as a basketball prodigy won't diminish, which is why, in the end, recent criticism of his showmanship will easily be forgotten once actual games take place.
That's where the legacy of LeBron will be decided. The move out of Ohio will be forgotten. The sideshow nonsense of the past week will be forgotten. James will be judged on whether he wins. This is something that Kevin Garnett learned when he finally left Minnesota after 12 years of mediocrity and near-misses to become a champion with the Celtics.
"I would tell any young guy, you can be loyal to your team and your town, but be loyal to yourself, too," Garnett told Sporting News during the NBA Finals. "You can't beat winning."
And it's something that Reggie Miller, who spent 18 ring-less years in Indiana, knows, too. Asked if James would damage his legacy by leaving Cleveland, Miller said, "Yes and no. Yes from the standpoint that you are taking the road more traveled, the easier road, by going to Miami. But, no, it won't hurt, from the standpoint that a ring is a ring. I would say, three rings in Miami would be equivalent to one ring in Cleveland, because with the Cavaliers, he's the man and focal point. That's a bigger challenge, but again, a ring is a ring."
Ohio won't forgive him. Many other fans will hold a grudge. But if James wins championships in South Florida, his legacy will be just fine.
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