LeBron James: The Real Reason You Hate Him

So you hate LeBron James.  Is it because he ditched the Cleveland Cavaliers for South Beach?  Unless you’re from Ohio, that can’t be it.  Don’t tell me you wouldn’t jump at the chance to date the hottest girl in high school even if that meant ditching your less attractive girlfriend.

Is it because he made a spectacle of his free agency on national television? That can’t be the real reason for your player hating.  Granted, it was ridiculous, but at least LeBron’s "Decision" created some buzz during an otherwise uneventful summer in sports.

Is it because he orchestrated an uber-team in Miami, essentially tattooing “villain” on his back?  Some villain—he took less money for the good of his team.  And, it’s not as though he’s getting busted for DUIs and beating up women.

Plus, here’s a little secret: You love villains.  You’re watching the NBA more than ever, and it’s not because there’s a superstar on every team.  It’s because there are a few teams that are really good, and there’s a superstar trio in South Beach that you love to see fail.

I know the real reason you hate LeBron James.  It’s because he’s not a control freak.  He’s not Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant.  He prefers sharing the spotlight if it means winning.  Jordan and Bryant-type players never share the spotlight.  They control everything.  They win with lesser players around them.  They break into fights during practice with their own teammates in the name of their unhealthy need to win, and we love that about them.

We love our elite superstars to be dictators on the court. We want them to beat the best instead of joining the best.  Can you imagine Jordan teaming with Magic Johnson or Larry Bird?  Can you imagine Kobe teaming with Dwyane Wade or Carmelo Anthony?  Think about it: We didn’t give Kobe his props as one of the best until he won without Shaq.       

You hate that LeBron is the best team player to ever play in the NBA.  Why?  Because he’s also the most physically superior player to ever step on the hardwood, and you don’t think he should need Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to win a championship.

I get it, because that’s exactly what I thought when he went to Miami.  I thought LeBron shouldn’t need another player that has the same skills.  If LeBron needed another superstar, let it be at the tail end of his career, like KG going to Boston, or let it be with a big man who is a distinctly different player.

But hate him all you want, LeBron is changing how the NBA operates.  He’s forcing the hand of other superstars like Carmelo Anthony to follow suit to maintain relevance, and don’t be surprised to see the likes of Chris Paul and Dwight Howard doing the same in the near future.  This isn’t three aging superstars in Boston joining forces to win what they couldn’t win individually.  This is the upper echelon joining ranks to set up potential dynasties in the prime of their careers.

Hate him all you want, but LeBron James is the most influential player in the NBA.