NBA Finals: Why Dirk Nowitzki, Not LeBron James, Can Find Redemption With a Ring

LeBron James and Dirk Nowitzki get set to play for an NBA championship. There will be plenty made of what it means for them to be there and what both men are ultimately playing for. Make no mistake, though, only Dirk Nowitzki is playing for redemption.

“Redemption” is a word that gets thrown around a lot. It sounds large and ethereal. It evokes the idea of a greater triumph than just victory. This, and words like “sacrifice,” are the backbone of sports prose meant to stir the soul and drive the narrative to greater heights, even though words of that nature barely fit most of the time.

LeBron James cannot be redeemed by this NBA title for this offense lies elsewhere than on a basketball court. LeBron James may be unfairly the villain and may not deserve the backlash and the hatred he has endured since taking his talents to South Beach, but those complexities and what drives the public opinion to hate, judge and unfairly label is a tired discussion that has been exhausted or at least better suited for another day.

I’ll choose to examine the facts as they lie and let his reputation as it’s widely thought exist without examination. I’ll judge it as face value because in the end LeBron James is what he is to the people whether they are right or wrong. And his offenses cannot be redeemed on a basketball court.

Redemption is atonement. It is the idea of making up for what you have done by doing something else. Your offense must equal to your steps to make up for what you have done. Of course if your desire is to examine the word from a biblical sense than redemption is delivering yourself from evil.

LeBron’s “sins” as we’ll call them for the sake of argument has everything to do with his perceived immaturity and the callous nature with which he left Cleveland. It was the way he handled it, the decision to do “The Decision” in the first place. The idea that he sold his legacy for the pursuit of a ring and that he gave up who he could be to “take the easy road.” It was the celebration that he, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh took part in upon their arrival in Miami (you can claim it was the Heat’s doing but three high profile superstars do know how to say “no.”)

These are LeBron’s sins. He can’t redeem himself on a basketball court. A ring will only drive the wedge deeper between the City of Cleveland, the throngs of haters, purists and jealous opposing fans. His skill on the court, although often a topic of conversation, has never been brought into question. Even those who detest James, have never questioned his ability to play the game and to play it at the highest level possible.

What an NBA championship would bring to LeBron, most accurately, would be validation for having thought his best chance to win would be to go to Miami. That’s not redemption. It doesn’t reverse a perception or atone for any “sins” the King might have committed.

For those that believe a ring would be redemption for his reputation as a winner as slightly mistaken as well since the Kings reputation when it comes to winning has been divided into two separate but equal camps. First, there is the knock that LeBron hasn’t won which doesn’t mean he’s not capable of it. Certainly those ideas that he wasn’t capable were erased when he formed his super duo with Dwyane Wade.

The other side to his ringless fingers have everything to do with the stigma that he isn’t a closer. Which is often and only a label reserved for greats who have won a ring, but even LeBron has managed to redeem himself for that prior to being in the Finals. His fourth quarters against Boston in Game 5 and in all four wins against Chicago, helped to erase any doubt to whether or not he can close.

Those who still hang on this label are merely fighting the bad fight against what their own eyes are seeing. Jordan was a closer well before he was a champion. It’s possible, and for LeBron, he’s taken that next step.

His greatest on the court “sin” for those that choose to believe it, was him quitting on Cleveland in the conference semi-finals last season against the Celtics. LeBron has never admitted or denied it and it’s likely an accusation that will be there for as long as the King is alive. However, there is nothing he can do in this Finals, or any other to redeem himself.

Redemption is specific and one must atone correctly. If Tiger Woods remains faithful to his current girlfriend, it will never be redemption for what he did to his previous wife. He can only redeem himself through her. LeBron James, whether he cares to or not, can only redeem himself through more “mature” actions and more humility in the future.

Again, he doesn’t owe anyone anything, but his appearance in the Finals cannot create redemption. It can only allow us to someday forgive LeBron for what he did. He may not want or care about our forgiveness, but again, it is what it is.

However, for Dirk Nowitzki, redemption is all made possible by the NBA Finals. As he steps onto the court Thursday he’ll be haunted by the ghosts of 2006, the ghosts that have inevitably changed his reputation as a player.

It was in 2006 his unstoppable Dallas Mavericks held a 2-0 series lead to the Dwyane Wade led Miami Heat. In a flash he went from “in control” to an epic collapse. It was the following season that his top seeded Mavericks lost to the Golden State Warriors in a laughable series that help Dirk’s reputation as a winner plummet to its lowest depths.

For Dirk, all his sins lie on a basketball court. There is no off the field act of kindness or goodwill that will erase the stigma that Dirk folded when it mattered most. While there are those who debate LeBron James’ ability to win, no debate like that has existed for Dirk for years. His reputation has been a perennial loser. Even in a year where the Dallas Mavericks have looked great in stretches and finished with the third seed in a tough Western conference the Mavs were still picked to be upset by the Trailblazers.

Every step of the way the Mavericks have been underestimated and underrated. Even in a series now against LeBron James and the Miami Heat they will be the heavy underdog. Don’t think for a second Dirk’s reputation as having never won a Finals and falling short far too often doesn’t play in. If you replaced his name with Kobe Bryant’s the Mavericks would at least be given a fighting chance.

As for redemption for Dirk it will come in the form of a magnificent uphill battle were his performance will be paramount to winning. If Dirk can do what few believe he can do, against the runaway freight train that is the Miami Heat, he will rewrite his legacy forever.

While LeBron James is just at the beginning of his prime, Dirk is nearing the end of his career. Few thought Dallas would make it this far, and there is reason to believe they won’t be back again. As for the sense of urgency, no one needs to win now more than Dallas.

While LeBron has already planted himself among the ten best to ever play the game, Dirk’s legacy is partially tied to the deadly shooter he has been, and with the post season failures he’s been known for. Dirk has one more chance to atone for his basketball sins. This is his moment. It will take the full realization of his talent.

LeBron James can’t redeem himself on a basketball court. Only Dirk Nowitzki can.