One of LeBron James’ favorite canned quotes is, “I don’t know why the man above gave me the hardest role,” which he tenderly stated moments after delivering the Cleveland Cavaliers their first NBA championship in franchise history in 2016.
It’s a fragmented quote coming from a player whose — forget basketball career — life has been put in a fishbowl. James has had his moments, like an airball in his first NBA game, or demeaning losses like the one to the Dallas Mavericks in the 2011 NBA Finals.
Yet the numerous things that were meant to weigh him down and barricade him from some of the greatest feats became the reason why he stands out as arguably the most unique player on a basketball court ever.
One to start your franchise
Any eyewitness will tell you that LeBron has said many times that he doesn’t feel pressure, even if that’s virtually impossible for a living human. Perhaps we have to look at it another way. Maybe the Akron native is best at absorbing pressure. Maybe he’s come to love the pressure. Maybe he genuinely enjoys the constant swirl of unsolicited media attention.
Maybe all of the above has made him the perfect player to start your franchise with.
James has stood the test of multiple eras. From the predominantly plodding center era to the guard-happy, 3-point chucking era—one that was helped introduced by Kevin Durant and later revolutionized by Steph Curry—everything has progressively evolved, but “The Chosen One” has been the glaring constant.
This unprecedented longevity has dawned on players throughout the decades. Yes, we are using decades and Bron in the same sentence; get used to it. For someone like Tracy McGrady, who also entered the pros out of high school, although not remotely under the kind of coercion “The Kid From Akron” was, he can appreciate his former contemporary for battering expectations, all while becoming a supernova on the court, a guy that players scramble to clear the runway for the moment he crosses halfcourt.
“You cannot take anybody over LeBron James in today’s game; he does too much,” says T-Mac. “You’re going to win [a championship with him] or at least get there and play for it. I’m going with [Le]Bron all day. I love [Durant]. I love Steph. But Bron brings so much and does so much.”
The only one
His bullet-proof aplomb, something that he has evolved thanks to his numerous storybook achievements, his inimitable moves on the court, those that have led to his gazillion points and something defenses haven’t been able to unmask in 20-plus years, and the candied cherry on top that is his brain, arguably his greatest weapon — the LeBron package is an unprecedented one.
If you ask him about a teammate or opponent, he’ll rattle off an encyclopedia-level worth of information in a snap. If his teammate gets put on the spot, like when Kyrie Irving was famously asked about scoring 38 points with zero assists in 2015, James will step in like the leader he is and remove the cumbrous.
If you need a basket on the court, watch as he puts his head down — even though he’ll throw up a 3-pointer from the left wing late in games at times, like the “LeF*** you 3” that social media has famously coined — and powers to the basket, curvetting off his left foot before sledgehammering the ball through the hoop as he wails with adrenaline through the air.
We get the amount of points, rebounds, and assists he has in his career — the MVPs, championships, individual records, and more. But somehow, even that doesn’t do the legwork in contextualizing what makes the NBA’s all-time leading scorer the preferred choice to start a team for McGrady or countless current and former NBA stars.