LeBron, You Really Should Have Studied More

(Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

So, LeBron, you got dunked on.  So you got dunked on by a kid from Xavier barely known to college fans.

Did you really need to act all "Big Brother" and destroy the videotape?

You've had a horrible time since the buzzer sounded on your '08-'09 season.  Immediately, you refused to shake hands with the victorious Magic, since apparently during your lifetime of sports participation no one taught you sportsmanship. 

Now you've given conflicting media reports regarding Trevor Ariza within hours of each other and confiscated a video to suppress an event with numerous witnesses.

LeBron, you've had six years to prepare for this time, of being in that small pantheon of basketball heroes whose personal merchandising and media attention outstrips that of many regions on the planet.

But yet, you know nothing.  You know nothing of the value of sportsmanship and humility towards boosting a public image, know little of how to manipulate a network that kneels before your golden shoes, and you seemingly feel entitled to being the flawless Nike poster-child, just naturally having a Jordanesque synergy of Championships and marketing prowess.

Your real-world age peers, LeBron, are 24.  Most of them have matured and realized that life isn't just handed to them.  Many of them have master's degrees, have gone through full career training, or served multiple tours in the military. 

For the average Joe and Jane, the years between 18 and 24 show a striking level of development.  Drunken, confused wrecks of humanity as fresh high school graduates turn into half-drunken, half-confused valuable citizens.  It's called "growth."

When His Airness was 24, he had just finished his third year in the league, only playing two full seasons.  In his first all-star game, his teammates refused to pass him the ball because they were envious of the attention he had received during the first half of the season. 

By 24, he had played a total of 10 playoff games and would not win an NBA title for another four years.

Could you, LeBron, even live with the thought of—gasp—not winning an NBA title until 28?  Could you handle a group of your peers rejecting you at 22 simply for being what you are?

At some point in his young career, Jordan realized it took more than mad skills and a dopey grin to become Michael Jordan.  It took a mind that understood image management was about much more than simple appearances.

Your ego, LeBron, is truly out-of-whack if you think it bigger than Jordan's, but Jordan knew how to tame the narcissist within when in public, knew how to spin it before media figures and at public appearances to his advantage. 

Self-deprecation, sarcasm, a well-placed sly smile, a quotable line that appears off-the-cuff: the tricks of world leaders like Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton are, in the end, no different than those of sports superstars.

LeBron, these last six years should have been a time to learn these things, to develop a pleasant media personality. 

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