This story was originally published in HYPEBEAST Magazine Issue 19: The Temporal Issue as "A Chosen Authority." Find out more here.
When everyone in the free world assumes they own the right to opine on the way you are, the truth can easily become lost amidst the noise – making it even more challenging to be truly self-aware. LeBron however, has embraced such a challenge wholeheartedly: where many professional athletes have shied away from politics and social issues during their stint in the limelight, LeBron has been outspoken about the whirlwind of issues rampant in today’s hostile sociopolitical climate. He openly endorsed Hillary Clinton during last year’s election and has tackled the recent resurgence of racial tension head-on, speaking out against hate crimes and wearing the notorious “I Can’t Breathe” T-shirt on live television to draw attention to the police brutality that led to Eric Garner’s death. “Speaking out is just the first step. When someone has a voice as influential as mine, no matter what, there is a responsibility to speak out.” No matter how lucrative – and at times, mind-boggling – NBA salaries are, for LeBron, his job duties extend far beyond what he signed on his contract. While his primary job is to play basketball, his other, equally full-time ob is being a leader off the courts.
Because of his obvious height and otherworldly physical abilities, LeBron has been placed upon a pedestal reserved for extraordinary individuals since he was just a teenager. “When the expectations for you are sky-high from such an early age, you’re thrust into the spotlight – whether it’s good or bad.” The Chosen One, The King has thrived in every aspect both on and off the court; his achievements on the court however have culminated in a place in the NBA, a (future) place in the Hall of Fame – and a place in the consciousness of nearly every child, teen and adult. Still, not every star can handle the fame, let alone leverage his position to inspire change and act as a voice for society. We’ve seen many standout athletes burn out and self-destruct under the fame, fortune and pressure that come as given variables to newly forged Icarian lifestyles.
LeBron’s ability to think beyond himself, even from a cemented position of influence, catapults him into a burgeoning collection of leaders emerging from pop culture icons. How has a top-shelf athlete like LeBron parlayed his popularity into influencing what millions of people think about topics unrelated to his profession, from music and fashion to racism and political issues? How does fame transcend itself to power and influence? Now 13 years in the league, LeBron is coming off the best statistical season of his career, averaging 26 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists. He is undoubtedly still in his prime – his consistency remains unparalleled by any player in the sport. Perhaps just as consistent and even more relevant in the long run is his off-court conduct: while his legacy will undoubtedly endure with his name plastered everywhere in record books, his impact upon our culture and society resonates with the sense of conviction characteristic of all great leaders. LeBron’s desire to inspire others – by way of swaying the voting public or motivating a single child – comes from his sense of duty to the community and his optimism for the future: “It means a lot to me, to give kids what they need as inspiration. It’s our job not to hamper or stiffen their limits, because they don’t have none; they’re limitless.” So the next time someone says “I want to be like LeBron,” they should know it means a lot more than simply being good at basketball.
When James was crowned “The Chosen One” fresh out of high school nearly one-and-a-half decades ago, the floodgates opened to mass controversy and marked judgment – something that he has fortunately grown accustomed to, with naysayers sparking constant Jordan and Kobe comparisons. The latest episode of drama is simply another hiccup for LeBron James; we’re all too familiar with the well-documented commotion surrounding the decision to leave his home team. The league-wide, seemingly nationwide, deposition of the Akron, Ohio native’s departure to join fellow superstar friends took his reputation from beloved league savior to the most scrutinized player in professional basketball history.
Let’s also not discount the severe issues between LeBron and his coaches, franchise owner and even his team’s social media platforms – LeBron reportedly unfollowed the Cavs on Twitter. The very fact that the Twitter incident was worth publishing is damning proof of how the man has spent the past 13 years under an especially unforgiving national microscope.Yet perhaps unsurprisingly, he seemed utterly composed in the face of media, walking out of the LeBron XV sneaker campaign shoot with the rare kind of deliberation that made him seem less like a media subject and more like someone who’s running the whole production. Not wasting any time between sets, he sat in front of our glaring lights and multiple cameras without so much as a blink. The only pause came when he stopped to politely ask us whether our cameras would record below the waist – so he could replace our wooden stool for his own exercise ball, which his assistant casually had on hand. It may have been difficult to imagine sustaining these almost saint-like levels of deference over the breadth of such a long career, but witnessing the man in action made it easy to visualize how he faced the numerous obstacles throughout the years with the same unwavering courtesy, right up to the mega-stardom which he now enjoys.
Over the past several decades, professional NBA players have transformed from casual celebrities to global icons. LeBron, like James Harden and Stephen Curry, are among the most recognizable figures in the world. With social media in the mix, their power and influence is unmatched by even the biggest stars from past generations, an example of this being the manifestation of the “LeBron Effect.” The now infamous Instagram video of LeBron singing and dancing to Tee Grizzley’s single “First Day Out” caused an astronomical spike in record sales to the tune of tripled record sales and the single going platinum. This exemplifies LeBron’s impact on popular culture – yet he understands that while his words and actions have the power of yielding immensely positive outcomes, they are equally as capable of going the opposite way. Akin to the motto of fictional superheroes, LeBron lives by a similar standard, acknowledging the duty and obligation that accompanies possessing such a massive amount of power and influence at his fingertips. “It’s definitely a responsibility that I know I have. There’s a gift and a curse with it. Everything you say, everything you do, everything you post – you know it’s going to be scrutinized and people will have their own opinions about it.”
Our entire exchange felt somewhat surreal. Firstly, LeBron was early to the shoot, and as we were accustomed to accommodating “baller” and/or “rapper” time, his punctuality was not only shocking, but felt uncannily off-schedule. Secondly, it went almost too smoothly: The King came and – after a quiet inquiry – sat on his rubber throne, emanating more self-possession and charisma while lightly swaying upon a giant blue bouncy ball than we could muster on our most dignified days. His responses were polished to a fault and seemingly rehearsed – the statements could easily be written off as simple clichés – and to be frank, I initially took them as such. But as I trudged on with my 20 minutes of allotted interview time, I developed an admiration – envy, even – in LeBron’s unwavering ability to stay focused and “on” in the midst of possible landmines, which in this case came in the form of rolling cameras and 15 un-vetted interview questions.
When we asked LeBron about the struggles of living in the overly-watchful public eye, he did not turn it into a conversation about celebrity. Instead, he saw how his fame provided a leeway to inspire new generations. “I’ll take that side, even if it means I have to deal with the naysayers and all that.” And when we wanted to speak about his array of awards and accomplishments, both on and off the court, he humbly deflected to how they let him have a positive impact on the youth of today as well as his own children. “I want to inspire by the way I play and the way I approach life – the way I am as a father, a son and a friend, and [through] giving back to the community. If I could change one life and that life goes to two, that two goes to four, and so on, so forth.”
On this midsummer’s day during the 2016-17 NBA off-season, that face looked somber – one might even say stern – and understandably so. Our meeting took place just days after news broke that LeBron’s longtime teammate Kyrie Irving had requested to be traded, ending their run as one of the most dynamic duos in the league in the past five years. This of course, came directly after the Cavaliers fell short of defending their league title against the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals. Analysts and fanatics have compared the split to that of Shaq and Kobe – the similarities being the obvious struggle of sharing stardom, and more plainly, the difficulties that arise while playing alongside a massively polarizing and scrutinized player like LeBron. While many felt the news of the split like an unexpected blow, the uproar that followed could only have failed to occur in a parallel universe.
When James was crowned “The Chosen One” fresh out of high school nearly one-and-a-half decades ago, the floodgates opened to mass controversy and marked judgment
Stepping out from behind a black curtain stretched floor-to-ceiling to accommodate his stature, he towered over a thick posse of managers, trainers and assistants – there appeared to be no bodyguards in sight, yet it could not be more apparent that they would have been entirely unnecessary. As he approached donning an all-black Nike outfit, the heroic 6’8” figure effectively transformed the phrase “looking up to someone” from a fitting idiom into a very literal occurrence. While I’ve met a fair number of professional athletes and NBA players in the past, meeting “The King” LeBron felt different. If the sport itself was somehow distilled into a single, symbolic figure, then I found myself staring straight up into the face of it.
