American Idol

I realize that not everybody that actually reads this blog (hell, maybe nobody that reads it) will care one bit to read about this topic, but I would like to talk about my hero. My hero stands at 6 foot 8 inches, and weighs in at about 240 pounds. He has a 45 inch vertical jump and has to duck his head when he dunks to prevent injuring himself. He also happens to be only 20 years old as of December 31st. Some of you may already know whom I'm referring to, but for the rest of you the person I speak of is NBA star LeBron James.

You may be saying "hero?" You may be thinking "you look up to a (recent) teenager?" Well, let me try and explain where my obsession with a basketball player came from and then maybe you won't chastize me too fully.

First off, I guess I shouldn't really call him my hero, because that word doesn't describe what I truly feel. Secondly, it would probably be more appropriate to say I am in awe of him than to ever say I look up to him, hell, he's just a kid. But what he can do with a basketball, not to mention the poise and grace with which he does it, is certainly worth a second look.

Let me start from the beginning. When I was a senior in high school my dad asked me how I'd like to go down to Columbus, Ohio for the weekend to watch the state basketball championships, and I was obviously more than pleased with this proposition. We watched teams large and small with many different styles play their absolute hardest, often times with the greatest glory some of these kids would ever feel in their lives at stake. Then we decided to purchase tickets to the Division III finals as some had said that the seemingly smaller school known as Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary's was actually the best team at the entire tournament. We didn't know anything about them, but we soon found out why they had been rumored so prestigiously.

This team featured the greatest young basketball player I had or maybe will ever see play the game. This freshman star stood at 6'4, lanky and awkwardly built at the time. When the game started he dispelled any question of his ability however. He dazzled the crowd with an array of dunks, three-pointers, and no-look passes to the tune of 25 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists, and he was only 15 years old. I made sure to make note of his name, as I was sure someday he would play in college and I could say that I had seen him in the first truly meaningful game of his career. It turned out I was wrong. He ended up never playing a single minute in college.

I returned home and told my friends of what I had witnessed. Two years passed with no additonal knowledge of the phenom other than reading that his team had won the state final when he was a sophomore and lost in a huge upset when he was a junior. He won Mr. Ohio in basketball both years (no player had ever won prior to his senior year before or since). Suddenly hype began to surround this player, and he even made it to the point that he was soon on the cover of Sports Illustrated touted as "The Chosen One." It was even speculated that he may turn pro after his junior year in high school. He however did not.

As his senior year began his life was put under a microscope, and he was the first ever player to have a nationally televised high school basketball game, as ESPN2 garnered its best ratings ever for the telecast. A media machine had been born. Time passed and controversy stirred, but the story eventally caught back up with me when LeBron's team was to play its Regional finals at Savage Hall at the University of Toledo. I had to see him play again in person before he went pro. Mike, Rabbs, and myself made the short trek to Toledo and met up with nearly 15 friends of mine from high school who attended the U to head out to the game together.

What I saw next was the most amazing performance of basketball skill I had ever seen, and that is no hyperbole. To try and describe what he did in written words would certainly be an injustice to the beauty and grace that was his talent. Like Bobby Fischer to chess, LeBron James had taken an endeavor, a mere game to some, and seemingly eliminated the science and theory. What he does on the court can only be described as an art form. A symphony plays in his head, and each and every note is exquisitely written and repeated by ear time and time again.

When I said he never played a minute in college it was because he became the 1st pick of the 2003 NBA draft, to the Cleveland Cavaliers. He won the rookie of the year award at the age of 19, and has set nearly every age based record since. He is playing at a level currently that may give him the league MVP award in only his second season. He has redefined the term phenom.

Now that I have given this seemingly endless history, or rather mythology, as I would choose to call it, I must explain the true content to my wonderment. Truth be told, it is less the fact that the prodigy plays basketball, but more that such a prodigy has the ability to show the world his skills like few before ever have. Simply put, I am a sucker for anything truly extraordinary. If the greatest mathematician in the world could broadcast his infinite vocation in problem solving, I may be equally as enthralled. There are many people in this world that are perhaps the best in the world at their chosen skill, but rarely will anybody else ever know. The fact that LeBron's journey to this peak can be chronicled and criticized every step of the way is truly exciting. He may never reach that peak, but the path he takes will entertain millions nonetheless.

The interesting aspect of his career is that in its infancy, with such unbelievable expectations, it is indeed very possible that he may never reach the level that so many are sure he will. He may tear a ligament in his knee tomorrow and never be the same again. He may simple never improve beyond the current point, or never win a significant game, or have off the court problems that tarnish his career. The exciting part is that I believe he may surpass even the most optimistic prognostications, and reach a level of play hardly imaginable.

Many players' careers are like a trip to the amusement park. You wait and wait for hours to take part in the biggest and best ride, and only then in the briefest of time do you get to appreciate or become discouraged by your patience. Just as Charles Barkley was ushered into the front car he never had time to ride again. David Robinson on the other hand was joined in line by Tim Duncan at the last minute and even got to put his hands up and scream during the biggest fall of the ride. Watching Lebron James is like waiting in line 5 minutes, securing the seat belt, and never having to exit to your left.