This is LeBron James' second season with the Miami Heat, and the criticism has not ceased for even a second. His detractors hone in on any opportunity to paint him as a villain. Every time King James stumbles, they gleefully remind the world that his South Beach coronation did not grant him divine right to a championship.
After all, The Decision incited this vitriol in NBA fans to begin with. On July 8, 2010, in front of ESPN cameras and the Boys and Girls Club of Greenwich, CT, LeBron Raymone James broke the hearts of the city of Cleveland and of basketball fans around the world.
James left the hometown team he helped lift from the ashes to chase glory with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, his buddies and fellow stars. In the process, he subverted the expectations fans have for a guy once considered the next Jordan, and he made many enemies.
Those enemies have not let James forget what happened in Greenwich, and there was a time when he deserved that criticism. But the LeBron who is chasing a title in 2012 is not the same man or player who orchestrated his departure from Cleveland in 2010.
Lost in The Decision and the wave of egomania that followed was any more than just the slightest bit of social responsibility. Yes, The Decision did bring in $3 million for the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, but it was clear throughout that James was the focus of the spectacle and charity the backdrop.
But since 2010, James seems to have learned from the backlash and come out a much humbler man. He has continued to support the Boys and Girls Clubs without any fanfare surrounding it. This past March, he was instrumental in organizing his Heat teammates to take a picture with hoodies on and heads down in support of Trayvon Martin, a move which ESPN's Jemele Hill lauded as "James' most clutch moment."
James may display a level of social consciousness now that had previously been lacking, but the critics were outraged with both James the player just as much as, if not more than, James the person. He was lambasted for apparent unwillingness to take the last shot an for generally disappearing in the fourth quarter, and the spotlight shined right on James when the flopping epidemic hit the NBA in the 2012 playoffs.
While these attacks might not necessarily be unfounded, fans' desire for more from James does not warrant making him a scapegoat.
Fans want the best players to rise to the occasion in the biggest moments. But just as Russell Westbrook cedes to Kevin Durant in the final seconds for the Oklahoma City Thunder, so too does James to Wade. He lets the player the team trusts most have the ball in his hands, a stance corroborated by Chris Bosh to GQ. Knowing one's role, even at the highest level, ought to be regarded as a virtue rather than a shortcoming.
As for flopping, James' histrionics against Tyson Chandler and the New York Knicks might have kicked off a postseason of falsely flailing limbs, but he is only the tip of the iceberg. Horribly and hilariously, there are more egregious examples.
James Harden and Manu Ginobili came together in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals for a rare double flop, and Chris Paul went method with his acting when he flopped on a ref in the opening round. What James did looks tame in comparison, yet he is demonized as the serial flopper.
The most recent criticism came following Miami's 93-79 Game 1 win over the Boston Celtics. James scored 32 and pulled in 13 boards, but that didn't stop the chatter from the Huffington Post about his post-foul laughter at Kevin Garnett's expense.
ESPN's Skip Bayless of took to Twitter following the game, framing the moment in the context of James' legacy: "Will LeBron ever grow up, conduct himself like 3-time MVP instead of this childish frontrunner taunting? At least go win ONE RING first."
Will your opinion of LeBron James improve if he wins a championship?
Will your opinion of LeBron James improve if he wins a championship?
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Yes
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No
What this reveals is the double standard James is held to. Garnett, the subject of said frontrunner taunting, is the same player who once taunted Charlie Villanueva by allegedly calling him "a cancer patient."Â Also keep in mind, Garnett devoted years to the Minnesota Timberwolves before waiving his no-trade clause to chase a championship in Boston. "It's wonderful to have the opportunity to play with players the quality of Paul (Pierce) and Ray (Allen)," Garnett said.
This is James' ninth season in the NBA, and the criticism will not cease until he has a ring.
He is part of an exclusive group of three-time MVPs along with Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain, Magic Johnson, Moses Malone and Bill Russell. Each of these all-time greats also has a championship to his name, and no one will include James in their exemplary standing until he wins one of his own.
Right now, James and the Miami Heat are just seven wins away from getting that elusive ring. Win or lose, James is a changed man off the court and the product of his era of play on it. He is not the infallible superstar fans dreamed he would be, but there is no shame in being an imperfect MVP.
If the critics would just accept that and lay off of him a little, we could ignore the extracurriculars and just see what kind of player one of the all-time greats really is.
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