LeBron James: The King Has a New Set of Clothes

Note: As I have detailed before on this site: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/223135-is-the-king-losing-the-court , the Lebron James' image manufacture has contained so many twists and turns that finding the true measure of the man was nearly impossible.

Following the King's departure to Miami, I think we finally have an inkling of who he has been all along.

9:30 p.m. EST: The LeBron free agency reality show, that ironically left fans anything but free from its sheer absurdity, was over. Finally.

After a foreplay so painfully excruciating that viewers were left wondering if Jim Gray simply forgot to ask for Lebron's take on the recent Twilight film, LeBron ever-so-delicately declared he was bringing his talents to South Beach.

Make that Wade County.

LeBron joins a region already possessing a local King with a ring, and so enamored with the league's icon, Michael Jordan, that they retired his number even though he never played for their local team. 

Thus, the facade that was LeBron's bravado or swagger—which fostered the perception of him as an alpha dog—went up in smoke like No. 23 Cleveland jerseys in the depressed Cleveland streets.

The "King James'" brand shift that began with quotes like "A LeBron James Team is Never Desperate" and continued with the no-handshake rule and the confiscation of video tapes, now has to take a backseat to Wade's superstar ownership of the region like James himself.

It has never been more evident that James is not who many assumed he was given his arsenal of skills, shot-making ability, and exhaustively maintained and promoted image. 

As his Game Five no-show against the Celtics displayed, he is not always a fierce competitor seemingly allergic to losing. His utter indifference during that game and during the final moments of Game Six showed that he is not so competitive that he can not take a loss laying down, rejecting his fate even as all hope is lost.

That does not make him the only superstar to quit on his team.

After all, Kobe pulled a similar move against the Suns in the playoffs just a few years ago. However, Kobe's act was a calculated move to galvanize the Lakers' brass to get him worthy veteran teammates that could contend for a title immediately and without delay.

LeBron, on the other hand, quit knowing full well his team could do nothing and there was no message to his team that would have made a difference anyway. He quit because it was easier and he was spent—overwhelmingly exhausted from the unfair expectations heaped on him by a city desperate for a title.

The message he delivered was not that he wanted better players to elevate his team's performance, but he needed better players to elevate his own performance in the face of adversity. He made this point as impossible to ignore as Dan Gilbert's crazed e-mail.

So, who is LeBron? A fierce marketer and businessman appears to now be the answer. After all he disproportionately trumped Dwyane Wade, Amar'e Stoudemire, and Kevin Durant's own decisions with a relentlessly hyped, hour-long special on the greatness that was himself. He appears to be more willing to tackle daunting challenges off the court than on it.

Looking back with clarity, his ferocity on the court has never matched that of his behavior off the court. On the court, he has deferred to Donyell Marshall, Damon Jones, and even Anderson Varejao in the big moments.

That is not to say LeBron does not care about winning. In fact, he chose the first or second-best option for that according to most NBA experts. However, it would be remiss to not reduce this to the fact that superstars, by necessity, at some point must be champions.

The King with a ring is a far more marketable entity than the King without one. LeBron knows this, and surely understands his place in the NBA hierarchy, and more importantly it seems for him, the global marketing hierarchy. 

To be a billionaire and a worldwide phenomenon, LeBron needs titles. The immortality and unmatched competitive triumphs that were there for the taking in Cleveland and New York were not James' chief concern.

After all, winning in New York and Cleveland with bare rosters and limited or non-existent star support would likely require a competitive fire and ambition in the face of adversity that LeBron does not seem to possess, or at least is unsure he possesses. 

Instead, LeBron has relegated himself to position 1B on a loaded team from the perspective of basketball circles, and second star status in the perspective of his new team's fans.

If all goes well, he will have great teammates to bring out the best outcomes from his willingness to defer and cede the spotlight. The only way a Wade-James combination will work, ultimately, is if one agrees to not be the alpha-dog in critical moments and play the occasional role of decoy, which may suit LeBron to perfection. 

The high-powered team will stand a better chance than Cleveland ever did both in preserving his high level of play, and more simply covering for him when he faces the adversity that arrives.

It is possible that this will all work in the end.

LeBron's legacy could be as this generation's Magic Johnson, fondly remembered for titles and team play. Still, it is hard to stop our staring as we realize what we thought was the ultimate alpha-dog—the skillful, swaggering, and menacing No. 23-wearing James—was more of a tenacious competitor off the court than on it.