What's in a Name? Sometimes a Lot

I make no secret that I am not a fan of LeBron James.

I think he is an amazing, absolutely amazing physical talent...the likes of which the league has never seen, but I don't like him. I also know that my dislike of him makes no difference to him at all. No matter...I will rant anyway.

LeBron James was given the nickname "King James" sometime in high school. Sports Illustrated dubbed him the "chosen one" during his junior year in high school. I'm not sure that anyone knew at the time exactly how much young LeBron would embrace those monikers.

In my estimation, one has to be exceptionally self-absorbed to have the phrase "Chosen 1" tattooed across their back. Let us not forget "Witness" tattooed down his right leg, "Gifted Child" on his chest or "Beast" on his left arm. That's just tattoos.

How about the dog-and-pony show that is his impending free agency? There can be no doubt, despite his weak and infrequent protests to the contrary, that he just loves the "will he, or won't he" attention that he is receiving from every sports media outlet. And no, I don't think he will leave Cleveland. I wish he would, for I think it would turn a lot of fans against him...that would make me smile, but it's not happening.

It is possible that the times have changed far more than I know, but I believe that self-absorbed equates to selfish. Who really hears about generous and devoted narcissists?

Bringing it back to basketball...

Basketball is a team sport. The best teams in NBA history, with the exception of Jordan's Bulls teams, were led by selfless superstars. Players who put team success above their own. Think of Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Bill Russell, and Tim Duncan. Do you really believe that any one of them couldn't have averaged 40 or 50 points per game? Of course, if they did, then you could just call them "Wilt."

[Seriously — with the type of small forwards in the NBA that were trying to guard Larry during the '80s, you don't think Bird could have averaged 50 per game? It was far more important to him to get good looks for Parrish, McHale, and the rest of his teammates.]

The physical-talent gap between Wilt Chamberlain and the rest of the league in his day is the closest thing we've seen to the gap between LeBron and everyone else in his day. Wilt was selfish. Wilt believed he was the best player on the court at all times, and he was determined to prove it. So how many titles did Wilt win? Two. Two titles for the most dominant physical force the league had ever seen over the course of a 14 year NBA career.

It is hard to be "all about the team" when you come across as "all about me."

So what's in a name? You can sometimes tell a lot about a person by something as silly as a nickname. There is a big difference between calling yourself "Chosen 1" and being referred to as "The hick from French Lick" or "The Big Fundamental."