LeBron James: Supreme Confidence Or Straddling The Line Of Arrogance?

When LeBron James refused to shake friend and fellow Olympian's Dwight Howard's hand after the Cleveland Cavaliers' loss in the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals, many observers chalked it up to the pain of his defeat.

Even though one of the first things taught when competing in sporting events is the value of sportsmanship and the ability to accept defeat gracefully, "King James" was nonetheless given a pass for his indiscretion.

In what will forever be known as Nike-Gate, James once again exhibited poor judgement when he allegedly directed Nike officials to confiscate a video of him being dunked on by Xavier's Jordan Crawford.

James has never admitted he gave orders for the tape to be taken, and the perpetrator of that incident remains in doubt, but James could have cleared the whole issue up by denying the decision was made based on his prerogative.

He failed to do this and now the moment will forever be etched in infamy, and the ironic thing is, the dunk was never anything to be worried about anyway.

Anyone who viewed said tape would instantly realize James was just caught in a slow defensive rotation, there was nothing Crawford did which would constitute a direct challenge to James at the rim.

Simply a case of a routine basketball play being blown out of proportion by James' denial of something which would have otherwise been forgotten in the space of a few weeks.

For some reason, "his highness" is unable to avoid trivial situations which through the advent of mass media and James himself, which evolves into stories which stoke the ire of various fans of the sport.

James' latest incident involving a statement about his ability to lead the NBA in scoring if he so desired, certainly falls under the same category of previously mentioned trivialities.

But it does seem as if a pattern has been established by James, and his tendency to act or talk before taking the time to ponder his responses definitely raises familiar questions about his arrogance.

The one thing which seems to be a universal rallying point for people who are not fond of James is his arrogant manner, and the way it is continuously disregarded by the media and pundits alike.

I agree James is arrogant, but I don't hold it against him because to achieve at the highest level of professional basketball, a certain degree of arrogance is a necessity.

Few players in the NBA ever take the step from great to superstar without a certain level of arrogance involved. In fact, arrogance is directly related to greatness, and all of the NBA's heroes have been guilty of it.

Michael Jordan may have been the most arrogant player to ever grace the court, but it never hurt his popularity and as history shows, his standing as an all-time great has persevered.

Likewise Kobe Bryant is probably the most equally loved and hated basketball player on the face of the earth, and his own arrogance is a contributing factor, but it doesn't diminish his accomplishments on the court.

All three players had a supreme desire to be the best they possibly could, and the mere pursuit of that goal means one must feel their game transcends anyone else's.

Sound arrogant to you? But this is something we accept because the whole game of professional basketball has become a testosterone-fueled contest of wills to see who really is the game's best.

The pursuit of that goal often leads to bold proclamations of superiority, but the funny thing is, this whole situation concerning James has been taken out of context.

When James was asked about the scoring duel he is currently embroiled in with Kevin Durant his response centered around his ultimate goal of capturing a NBA championship, and the chest-pounding was an afterthought.

Or was it? I would be more inclined to chalk this up as another insignificant moment if it had not been preceded by any of the above-mentioned instances of false bravado from James.

Again, no one will ever believe you are great if you don't believe in yourself, but to protect your image as James did in Nike-Gate, and to offer this latest pearl of wisdom raises some interesting questions.

Most observers agree the MVP award has already been won by James, and some believe he has overtaken Bryant as the league's best player, but does James believe that himself?

Why else would James continue to draw unmerited criticism through his statements and actions if there was not some underlying motivation associated with his pursuit as the game's greatest talent? 

LeBron seems to seek the approval of the league and its fans as the premier talent in the game, and saying he has the ability to lead the league in scoring if he so desired is an example of this.

I also feel he could lead the NBA in scoring if that was the path he chose to take, but what James must realize is the first part of his statement concerning winning a NBA championship is much more important than the last.

The coronation James so desperately seeks lies in him winning his first NBA title, and for all he is capable of doing on the court, the fact this little tidbit continues to escape him is the most puzzling fact of all.