NBA Finals 2012: An Open Letter to LeBron James from an Anonymous Sports Fan
The first thing that people who follow my writing career are going to say is that I have no right talking about the NBA. I played basketball all the way until sixth grade, but I bet I still averaged more points than Skip Bayless did in high school. One of my best friends went on to play Division III college basketball and used to show me a thing or two after working out, but that is about as far as my personal basketball IQ goes.
That being said, watching LeBron James win the NBA title last night was so unbelievably bittersweet. I go to school in Ohio, and my freshman year was the last year that King James was a Cleveland Cavalier. About 95 percent of the people I surrounded myself with were from Cleveland or a surrounding area, so although I wasn't much of an NBA fan, watching the Cavs was inevitable. We all know how that season ended, and we all know "The Decision" that followed suit.
But it was sweet at the same time because we can all finally stop hearing about whether he is ever going to win a championship and all that jazz. He has done it, and he won the Finals MVP on top of it. Maybe in about two weeks it won't be the only thing SportsCenter covers.
I don't think LeBron will ever realize how much he was loved in Cleveland. Being an anonymous spectator, I can honestly say that there is no city or fanbase that truly loves its teams and its athletes more than the city of Cleveland. I have seen it first hand.
All I wish I could ask LeBron, is if leaving an entire city, hell an entire state behind, was worth it now that he is a champion.
Was it worth disappointing tens of thousands of people in order to team up with two of the NBA's best in order to win a ring? Was it worth watching your jersey get set on fire for weeks? Was it worth sharing the spotlight with Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Mario Chalmers? Was it worth having everyone in America question your toughness in Game 4 of the Finals, which probably would not have been the case had you still been in the Cavaliers wine and gold?
The answer to these questions I'm sure I will never know.
You are the greatest basketball player on the planet right now LeBron, and no one will ever be able to take that away from you. You have not only proved it, you have earned it.
But in the mind of an anonymous sports fan, where champions are defined as someone who has defeated or surpassed (not teamed up with) all rivals, and loyalty is the greatest characteristic a professional athlete can obtain, it will never ever matter in my eyes.
Not four, not five, not six, not seven NBA championships, MVPs, All-Star appearances or NBA Finals MVPs will ever erase "The Decision" you made on that one fateful evening.
