Skip to main content

Is LeBron James the Most Polarizing Athlete Ever? - Bleacher Report

There are two definitive words that are associated with LeBron Jamesâ€"love and hate.

You'd be hard-pressed to find a group of basketball fans that are indifferent to LeBron. You either love him or you hate him, and there's a reason for that.

LeBron is without a doubt the most polarizing athlete in the history of professional sports, and he's earned that distinction by the way he's carried himself over the course of his career.

The moment LeBron made the decision to take his talents to South Beach, he transitioned from just being a professional athlete to becoming the most polarizing athlete of all-time.

At that moment, with "the decision" on the horizon, LeBron had a chance to take his NBA career in two different directions.

His first choice was to stay in Cleveland, and be known as the humble, loyal player who chose to be the hero for his hometown. His second choice was to leave Cleveland and become the player who couldn't win by himself and decided to abandon the town he came from.

We all know which direction LeBron chose, and the rest is history.

Based on that decision, basketball fans all around the world made their decisions on whether they would move forward being known as LeBron lovers or LeBron haters. That's exactly what being a polarizing figure is all about.

There are other figures in professional sports, like Tim Tebow, Charles Barkley, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Muhammad Ali and Tiger Woods who are polarizing personalities as well. But they don't have the same impact that LeBron does, and that's because at the most pivotal moment of LeBron's career, he isolated himself from fans because of the decision he made.

146663628_crop_340x234Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

When the spotlight shined brightest on LeBron, he made a decision that would not only shape the landscape of his professional career, but also the future of the entire NBA.

Those who love LeBron praise him for the fact that he's one of the most complete players to ever play the game. Those who hate LeBron always point to the fact that not only did he abandon his home town by taking the easy way out, but he also altered the balance of power in the NBA by forming the vaunted "big three."

LeBron's decisions not only impacted his own life and legacy, but also every other team in the NBA, and that subsequently impacted those team's fan bases, which lead to the polarization that exists in the popular opinion of who LeBron James is.

There's nothing that LeBron James can do to change his polarizing personality, and that includes winning NBA championships.

Until the end of time, there will be a group of people who love LeBron, and a group of people who hate him.

The interesting part of this situation is that LeBron seems to have realized that himself, but we, as well as the media, often fail to see that. If LeBron doesn't care that he's a polarizing personality, should we?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What Happened to the Rivalry Between LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony? - Bleacher Report

They were two young stars with unique and special abilities on the basketball court. They had recently played in a high-attention scholastic contest against each other. They were both selected in the same draft. The LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony rivalry was supposed to be the best individual rivalry since Magic and Bird. But while the relationship between Bird and Johnson is dramatized in a new Broadway play , Anthony and James will meet for the 15th time in their careers and do so without much fanfare. James and Anthony first met in a USA developmental camp in 2001 . Much like how Johnson raved about Bird after they played together on a college All-Star team playing in an international tournament, James couldn’t stop talking about Anthony. The two squared off in a high school showcase game the following year that pitted the player regarded as the best senior in the country (Anthony) against the one that was the best junior in the country (James), a game Anthony’s team wo...
Post a Comment
Read more

NBA Monday Morning Shootaround: LeBron James, The Hunger Games, and More - Bleacher Report

Welcome to the "Monday Morning Shootaround," Bleacher Report's recap of the weekend that was in the NBA. Along with getting you caught up on the weekend’s playoff action, we’ll give you a sneak preview of what could potentially be the greatest basketball book of all time, show you the best 70-year-old playground superstar ever, and tell you about a young star that just might choose religion over the fame and fortune of the NBA. The Opening Tip * ABC cameras caught LeBron James reading The Hunger Games before the Miami Heat played the Indiana Pacers on Sunday. Shortly thereafter, the Miami Heat small forward proceeded to go into full Katniss Everdeen mode to the tune of 40 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists as the Heat pulled out a hard-fought 101-93 victory. After a slow start, Heat guard Dwyane Wade finished with 30 points, nine rebounds and six assists of his own. But Sunday afternoon was all about James and his gaudy numbers, virtually all of which we...
Post a Comment
Read more

Breaking Down the Differences Between LeBron James and Kevin Durant - Bleacher Report

LeBron James and Kevin Durant are being coined as "the future of the NBA 's next generation." That is certainly true, but they aren't exactly on the same level. LeBron and Durant are two different players, who bring varying skills to different facets of the game. Instead of just comparing them in a "who's the best" fashion, let's take a minute and break down which player excels in each and every facet of the game of basketball. Ahead is a breakdown of the differences that exist between LeBron and Durant.  Scoring Ronald Martinez/Getty Images LeBron 2011-12 Per-Game Stats: 27.1 points, 53.1 FG%, 36.3 3P%, 77.1 FT% Durant 2011-12 Per-Game Stats: 28.0 points, 49.6 FG%, 38.7 3P%, 86.0 FT% Scoring is what Kevin Durant does. It's not only his specialty, it's also what makes him such a dangerous and elite player. With that being said, LeBron isn't exactly a slouch on the offensive side of the...
Post a Comment
Read more