LeBron James: Akron Hammer Headed Down Right Road to Repair Image
LeBron James must renounce the throne.
Naive sports fans longing for a superhero to root for will willingly bow down to King Jamesโthe Chosen One.ย Those without a twisted frame of mind, though, see the symptoms of a narcissist that James has displayed throughout his career.ย But today, LeBron looks headed in the right direction to repair his image of being the most egotistical athlete in the history of sports.
No one in their right mind is capable of knocking James for his recent off-the-court exploits.ย Respect is deserved, even from his most passionate haters. ย Instead of preaching his prominence, LeBron is finally taking his eyes off of the throne.
The Miami Heat phenom is one of countless stars taking a stand on the Trayvon Martin tragedy.ย After Twitter exploded in support for the murdered teen, he tweeted this message, along with the following photo:
"#WeAreTrayvonMartin #Hoodies #Stereotyped #WeWantJustice campl.us/il4E
โ LeBron James (@KingJames) March 23, 2012"
For once, LeBron isnโt seeking attention.ย His head isnโt raised with pride, but bowed in respect.ย The picture is dedicated by a groupโnot LeBron alone, but Miamiโto an individual: Martin.
But thatโs not the only non-basketball-related headline James has made lately.
According to Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman, a group of military personnel approached the Heat security between flights, hoping for pictures with the players, but they were turned away.ย LeBron, though, butted in, saying: โHey, hey, any of these military guys can take a picture with us.โ
James turned to his teammates and said, โHey, everybody get up.ย Get in a circle here. ย Anybody that wants their picture taken with us, we'll do it.โ
While one could accuse LeBron of speaking out about Trayvon as a publicity stunt, the same couldnโt possibly be said about his heroics in the airport.ย Millions are guaranteed to see a James tweet. ย But only by microscopic odds would a columnist witness and write about his act of kindness in pausing for pics with the military.
If LeBron continues such a trend, his image will eventually be repaired.ย ย The label of "childish" will become silly, and "selfish" will grow into "misunderstood."
With the Heat primed to make a championship run, heโll have plenty of microphones stuck in his face from now until June.ย If James thinks before he speaks and pushes aside his alter ego of King James, the haters will dissipate.ย But if LeBron blows it like he did after last yearโs NBA Finals, his image-rejuvenation project will be forced to start from scratchโagain.
David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.
