How LeBron James Changed What We Expect from NBA Superstars Today

During his nine-year NBA career split between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Miami Heat, LeBron James has changed the game of basketball as we know it.

He's not the first player to change the sport.

George Mikan's control of the paint forced the NBA to expand the free-throw lane and to install the three-second violation to somewhat curb his dominance.

Wilt Chamberlain's earliest free-throw routine (which essentially involved him throwing himself alley-oops off the backboard) forced officials to restrict the time when free-throw shooters are allowed to cross the free-throw line.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's dominance led the NCAA to enforce a dunking ban from 1967 to 1976. (And here we are complaining about the lack of excitement in the Slam Dunk Contest!)

But James has changed more than simply the way the game is played (although he's absolutely the reason that "hybrid" is the sexiest term in the league).

James has evolved what it means to be an NBA superstar.

The Lights Do Not Stop Flashing

Like any of today's celebrities, it's nearly impossible for NBA superstars to escape the omnipresent cameras.

James not only grasps this fact, he's the reason it exists.

A celebrity since becoming the first sophomore named to USA Today's All-USA First Team, James' entire basketball career has been spent under the public's watchful eye.

And not all of it's been pretty.

First, there was the infamous Hummer that James received as a high school senior.

There was the now infamous decision that spurned James' descent from NBA golden boy to No. 1 villain and led to perhaps the league's first organized pre-title celebrations.

But let's not forget all of the miraculous moments that these cameras have captured.

Forget the thousands of highlight mixes that his play has inspired. How about his revealing one-on-one interview with ESPN's Rachel Nichols when James rediscovered a comfort level with basketball that allowed for one of the greatest single-season performances the league had ever seen?

Or James coming full circle on the Miami Heat sideline, when the world witnessed the game's greatest player transform into a giddy child as if it were Christmas morning?

We All Need Somebody to Lean On

James' Heat were far from the league's first super team.

With four franchises (Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, San Antonio Spurs and Chicago Bulls) capturing two-thirds of all of the NBA championships, this league has long been dominated by superstar conglomerates.

But his team was the first self-made (potential) dynasty.

While these other franchises built up their talent base through smart drafting and consistently winning trades, the Heatles evovled from three superstar players setting aside their egos (and a few million) in the pursuit of championships.

We all remember: "Not one, not two, not three..."

Over the past two seasons, superstars and even pseudo-stars have converged onto financially fit teams in an arms race reminiscent of the Cuban missile crisis.

James was heavily criticized by the media and fans alike for seeking support in his quest to cement his legacy atop the basketball world.

But he had no intentions of being the next Karl Malone or Charles Barkley—NBA greats who never captured an NBA title.

And with Cleveland surrounding its star player with a roster that would have struggled to best the NBA D-League All-Stars, that's exactly where he was headed.

Maybe James' iPod shuffled to the Beatles on his way to The Decision: I get by with a little help from my friends...

Specialist Equals Limited

James is far from the first NBA superstar to impact the game in more than one area.

But his unprecedented versatility has all but ended the specialist's place among NBA elites. Scorers still have their place in this league. Same goes for rebounders, hustlers and defensive stoppers.

But James has raised the bar for NBA superstars to a level where it's no longer acceptable for one-dimensional players to be considered stars.

In some ways, there is a direct link between the rise of manufactured super teams that James inspired and the decline in NBA superstars.

When James is considered among the elites in scoring, defending, passing and leadership, some great players finally shifted focus from building their individual statistics to raising their team's place in the standings.

In a league that's quickly becoming James and everyone else, it will take more than just a scoring outburst or an array of assists for future superstars to enter the King's court.

Forget About Fun, Kids; Winning Is Everything

James was well on his way toward becoming another great NBA player during his tenure with Cleveland.

But thanks to a profound knowledge of and respect for the game of basketball, James' evolution came the moment he realized his legacy wouldn't reach Michael Jordan levels no matter how many awards he accumulated or records he broke.

Only one category matters for historical superstar hopefuls: rings.

James was chastised for doing the one thing that fans publicly begged athletes to do: He turned down extra money elsewhere so that his new franchise could afford to add more talent to the roster.

The NBA has never been a penny-pincher's league. This is the same league that has needed two amnesty clauses in the past decade because there are so many egregious contracts.

When he signed for anything less than a max deal, James the business man embraced the same ideals as James the superstar player.

He did whatever he needed to do for the betterment of his organization, an action too often overlooked in the past by NBA superstars, but something that will be required from present and future ones.

Building the Brand

Twenty-first century superstars are more than just gifted athletes.

They are cultural icons, embracing every bit the role of entertainer that the unprecedented access has thrust them in to.

Trend-setters in the fashion, film and music world, today's biggest stars have turned the sports world into Every Town, USA's high school: they're the coolest kids in school.

But it takes more than just some postgame hipster glasses and a few bars on a Members Only mixtape to reach superstar status.

Michael Jordan dominated NBA headlines in the 1990s not only because of his Bulls dynasty, but also because he became bigger than the game.

Jordan relished the limited access of yesterday's media: He brought golf and baseball to new communities, he reminded everyone that these shorts weren't cool, and he had everyone opening their wallets for his latest shoes and clothes.

Jordan was a megastar that the basketball world didn't think it would see again.

Allen Iverson tried his best, but he didn't have the team success nor the marketing. Kobe Bryant tried a little too hard, turned off some fans, and suffered from the B-list Nike designers.

While James the player will be chasing Jordan the player for the foreseeable future, James the icon may have reached Jordan's status.

His shoes and clothing hold their own section in any shoe store. He's been incredibly marketed since his high school days and his on-court performance has held up to those claims.

There is no more waiting to plan life after basketball. For today's superstars, there's money to be made and an image to uphold away from the court throughout their playing careers.