It seems like a lot of people are ripping on LeBron for leaving Cleveland.
The sportswriter for the Washington Post said:
Oh, and he can't be Magic now. Or Bird. Or Michael. Or Isiah Thomas, Tim Duncan or Bill Russell or any other NBA supernova who stuck around long enough to win championships for a town and its people.
As a legacy guy, he needs to know: His decision to spurn the Cavaliers for more talent and hope in Miami forbids LeBron from ever being one of those all-time greats who persevered through coaching changes, roster changes and wrenching playoff losses to lift a trophy to the rafters for the team who drafted him.
The double standard that we put on athletes is ridiculous.
First, we say “it’s all about the money,” but then LeBron leaves $30mm on the table.
Then, we say “he needs to suffer to be recognized as a great one.”
Why?
Look at your own career.
You work for 7 years at one company and you accomplish a lot, but then along comes a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work with some of your best friends, to have fun with them, to express yourself creatively.
What do you do?
You take it, of course.
So, maybe he wins a few championships and he’s not “one of the all time greats,” but maybe LeBron doesn’t care.
Maybe he just loves playing basketball and loves to win and he wants that feeling of being a champion, not of being a legacy.
He’s playing the odds…he says, “sure, I could labor/suffer in Cleveland and, maybe, in a few years, I might win a championship and be one of the greats…or I might suffer and NEVER win a championship.”
But, he looks at his chances, says, “I’m 25 and I know that I have maybe 10 years at most to make this happen. I know that injury could end my career at any moment. Look at all the ‘supernovas’ who did stick around and never won a championship. Just because I’m a star, doesn’t mean I will win.
I also know that no matter where I go, the playoffs are hard and I still might not make it, but I know I want to win and I want to increase my odds of doing that.”
Good for him.
