In Defense of LeBron James: A Guide to the Miami Heat's Misunderstood Superstar

In the ever-growing landscape of professional sports, no player currently receives more hatred than LeBron James. Regardless of what he does or says, both on and off the court, every move that the Miami Heat's misunderstood superstar makes is psychoanalyzed and twisted, seemingly to increase his stature in the world of villains.

It's not as though James is the Joker in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight, content to stir up mischief and anarchy just for the sake of the ensuing turbulence. He's made his mistakes (there is no denying that), but from the beginning of his career he has attempted to set himself up as a positive public figure, not one that is the constant target of ridicule and never-ending criticism. 

Yet at the end of the day, the small forward is more like the Joker than his Gotham-saving counterpart, Batman. That isn't to say that he's a Robin to Dwyane Wade's Batman, as many are fond of spouting off, but rather a villain instead of a hero.  

But why? What has James done to be forced to endure such unabashed vitriol?

In my opinion he's done enough to deserve the dislike of a select few basketball fans, but not this universal hatred he must suffer from on a daily basis. The real problem is that so many people fail to embrace the true reality of the situation: we should be blamed, not LeBron. 

To prove my point, I'm going to break down the career of the oft-criticized superstar into eight sections, starting from the beginning when he was still playing for the Fighting Irish of St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio.

Part One: The Chosen One

There should be absolutely no doubt in anyone's minds that James put together one of the most impressive high school resumes of all time, at least in the sense of his accomplishments under the bright lights of the basketball courts he dribbled on.

James won three state championships and was named Ohio's "Mr. Basketball" three times, including at the conclusion of his sophomore year. No other player in the state's history had ever earned that title at such a young age. 

While eligibility issues kept his prep career from being unblemished, James was unstoppable on the court. The national media didn't fail to notice this. 

Some of his high school games were televised nationally on the ESPN family of networks and notable NBA stars like Shaquille O'Neal were spotted in the stands. But that all paled in comparison to his appearance on the cover of the February 18, 2002 edition of Sports Illustrated.

While I will in no way attempt to defend James for choosing to permanently plaster his status as "The Chosen One" across his back, it isn't his fault that the media gave him this moniker. He was simply a talented young player, exactly the kind of guy that fans latch onto and hope they can root for throughout the next decade and a half or so. 

When I think about athletes that were anointed at such young ages in recent times, two people immediately spring to mind: Bryce Harper and Tiger Woods. 

The uber-prospect of the Washington Nationals received tons of hype while he was still in high school and justifiably so. He was drafted No. 1 overall in the 2010 MLB Draft. Since then, every move has been scrutinized. 

Major stories are made out of his ejections and childish antics like blowing kisses to opposing pitchers after home runs. It's almost as though our intent is to vilify him. In some ways, that's what's happening to James right now. 

So what happens when an athlete is faced with such overwhelming pressure to be on his absolute best behavior at all times (and sometimes even that's not good enough for us bloodthirsty fans)? Well that's where Tiger Woods came in.

I'm sure I don't have to explain his fall from grace to anyone.

Back to James though, his early hype resulted in the Cleveland Cavaliers selecting him No. 1 overall in the 2003 NBA Draft.  

Part Two: The Early Years

LeBron took the league by storm as soon as he first laced up his sneakers at the professional level. Playing against the Sacramento Kings he exploded for 25 points, six rebounds, nine assists and four steals, falling just a bit shy of the triple-double that he would soon become familiar with. After becoming just the third player in NBA history to average over 20 points, five rebounds and five assists as a rookie, James was named Rookie of the Year.

Following the 2004-2005 season, which saw James become an All-Star and a member of the All-NBA squad, LeBron's jersey flew off shelves around the country as he erased any doubt from everyone's minds that he would be anything less than great in the NBA. But his Cavaliers (and make no mistake, they were very much his Cavs at this point) failed to make the playoffs yet again.

That changed in 2006. After an even more statistically impressive season, James recorded a triple-double in his first playoff game at the expense of the Washington Wizards. His team would eventually fall to the Detroit Pistons in a seven-game series, leaving LeBron with playoff averages of 30.8 points, 8.1 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game.

At this point James was almost universally adored. A seedling of hatred wasn't even present in the vast majority of NBA fans' minds. 

Joining Oscar Robertson as the only men to ever average over 20 points, six rebounds and six assists per game for three consecutive seasons, James led the Cavaliers to a franchise-high 50 wins in the 2006-2007 season and earned the second seed in the Eastern Conference. 

His entire career up to that point paled in comparison to what came next: The 48 Special. Among other reasons, I watch sports hoping that I'll see something that I couldn't forget even if I wanted to. That game is one of those moments.

In Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Detroit Pistons, James exploded for 48 points, including 29 of his team's last 30 and the final 25 points in a double-overtime victory. There are not many better playoff performances in the annals of NBA history.

While the Cavaliers would go on to be swept in the NBA Finals by the San Antonio Spurs, The 48 Special was left firmly ingrained in the minds of everyone for the time being.

Once again, at this point James was almost universally adored. A seedling of hatred wasn't even present in the vast majority of NBA fans' minds. 

Part Three: MVP Seasons and Playoff Failures

Previously, James was exceeding expectations. But after the 2007 NBA Finals, people suddenly decided that it was his time to win now. And honestly, it was, but only if the Cavaliers could put together a halfway decent team around him.

That wasn't exactly what happened. The Cavs' big acquisitions during James' time in the city were none other than Mo Williams, a washed up Antawn Jamison and a super washed up Shaquille O'Neal (who actually used his overweight body to clog up the lanes more than help the team).

Is it any wonder that James couldn't win games in the playoffs with that kind of supporting cast?

Fast-forwarding to Game 7 of the Cavaliers' 2008 playoff series against the Boston Celtics, James scored 45 points despite the constant eardrum-shattering tones of the Boston Garden faithful, but fell just short in the contest thanks to a 41-spot from Paul Pierce. Between that game and The 48 Special, remind me again how James can possibly be considered one of the least clutch players in NBA History, as some claim he is now?

James continued to improve statistically, winning his first MVP award at the conclusion of the 2009 regular season. But in the playoffs, James couldn't get it done once more.

He did make a buzzer-beater to win Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Orlando Magic but ended up eliminated. Then, in a very controversial spur-of-the-moment decision, James decided to walk off the court without shaking hands.

After O'Neal joined the team prior to the 2009-2010 season, championship hopes abounded in the beleaguered sports city of Cleveland. Those hopes would not come to fruition as the Boston Celtics absolutely throttled the Cavs in the playoffs. After the series, accusations that LeBron hadn't given the series his maximum effort abounded.

It was then that the hatred truly started. What happened next only made it worse. But before we get to The Decision, let's take a look at some of the other reasons that LeBron is hated so that I can at least attempt to disprove the rationale of the haters.   

Part Four: The Antics

It seems as though a lot of the anti-James faction has problems with his supposed "antics" on the court and during pregame warmups. Those antics consist of the famous chalk toss, dancing around and occasionally pretending to take pictures with his teammates.

First of all, let's take a quick look at the chalk toss. It's a cool little tradition, but don't make the mistake of assuming that it was LeBron's invention. Reggie Miller and Kevin Garnett both employed variations of the pump-up routine before James was even a part of the NBA.

So there are no problems there.

As for the dancing and camaraderie with the teammates, why exactly is that a problem to people? If anything, we should look at this as a positive. Basketball might be a sport and thus a business, but it's still a part of the entertainment industry. At the heart of it all, LeBron is nothing more than an entertainer who happens to play basketball for a living.

We should be celebrating his enthusiasm and zeal for the sport he loves. We should embrace his "antics" and look at them in a much more positive light. He simply wants to have fun and bond with his teammates. What's the harm in that?

The answer to that non-rhetorical question is that there isn't any harm. I would have an entirely different stance on this if there was even a hint that the fun and games were affecting his actual game.

Part Five: Jordan Comparisons

As we are often wont to do, we compare LeBron James to Michael Jordan. MJ is undoubtedly the greatest player of all time, so it's only natural that we want to find his successor. That's why we constantly anoint "next Michael Jordans." From Harold Miner to Isaiah Rider, to Tracy McGrady to Kobe Bryant to James, many players have been asked to take up the mantle by the media before failing. 

The problem here is that these comparisons often evoke harsh responses from the Jordan faithful and the basketball purists in the world. And rightfully so in some cases.

But let me ask you, when have you ever heard James compare himself to Jordan?

Rather, it's always someone else who makes the comparison, the most recent example being Scottie Pippen. Even then, LeBron handled himself well and said that he was left humbled by the remarks of Jordan's former teammate.

So if you're going to hate on LeBron, don't do it because of these comparisons.

Part Six: The Decision

Here's the part that everyone was waiting for.  

From a basketball standpoint, the decision that LeBron James made to depart Cleveland for the luster of South Beach was the correct one (although some may argue that Chicago was a better destination). But as for The Decision, the way in which James went about making his announcement was inexcusable. 

Even then though, don't be so quick to pin the blame on James. Jim Gray was really the mastermind behind the whole one-hour ESPN special and James' advisers should have clued him in to what a huge public relations nightmare it would become. 

James even tried to make The Decision as positive an event as he could, gearing the entire thing towards charity. But that gets forgotten. 

What was left behind was a feeling of betrayal as the city of Cleveland felt like it was gasping out "Et tu, Brute?" as James stabbed it in the metaphorical back. 

For residents of the city of Cleveland, that may be an okay reaction. But the rest of the country (and world for that matter) should be able to look past that initial shock factor and realize that LeBron was by no means the mastermind behind this evil plan. 

Should he have approached it in a different way? Yes. 

Should he have dragged out the free agency process for so long? No. 

Should The Decision have happened? No. 

Was this entirely his fault? No. 

Does he deserve this much blame for it? Absolutely not.

You may note that I'm glossing over the ensuing party at which LeBron declared just how many championships the Heat were going to win. That is entirely indefensible so I'm going to try my best to ignore that part and assume that James got caught up in the moment and was simply trying to excite fans.

If you've never been caught up in the moment and said something rash, please let me know. That's what I thought. You're just lucky you weren't one of the most famous men (or women) in the world when it happened.  

Part Seven: Heat Hate

What everyone expected to happen when Dwyane Wade, LeBron and Chris Bosh teamed up ended up happening. They immediately formed the most despised trio in the current NBA landscape. 

People are always going to root against the front-runners. It's an inevitable fact of sports, and life in general. It's far sexier to cheer for the underdog than the heavy favorite. It's why we see headlines when Appalachian State takes down Michigan but not when Michigan beats Appalachian State.

Put yourself in James' shoes. I'm using the singular here because you could probably fit both of your feet into one of James' size 16 shoes.

All of a sudden you go from hero in Cleveland to villain in Miami at the drop of a hat. All you wanted was to win games and play with your friends. You didn't want to betray the city you grew up near and you most certainly didn't want to antagonize millions of fans.

But now you're being booed everywhere. The media is constantly inundated with criticism about you. You just can't do anything right.

The only way to succeed in that situation is to embrace the villain identity and try to overcome the hatred. That's exactly what LeBron tried to do this past season.

Remember also that despite his superhuman appearance on the basketball court, James is simply another human being. He is capable of getting frustrated and saying things he might have been better off internalizing. Don't expect him to be perfect.

Just like with the "Chosen One" hype, the Jordan comparisons and The Decision aftermath, the blame really lies with us once more. LeBron wouldn't be this universally hated if we hadn't decided to make him that way.  

Part Eight: Talent

In an effort to maintain as objective and unbiased as possible, I do need to address one last part. 

There are those who dislike LeBron James because he hasn't lived up to his otherworldly potential. We all wanted him to be the next big thing and up to this point he's let us down.

It isn't just that he doesn't have a ring yet. It's that he hasn't displayed a Kobe or MJ-like desire to improve his game at all costs. LeBron came into the league in 2003 without a consistent jump shot and without any real post moves. Well, it's 2011 and LeBron has neither a consistent jump shot nor an arsenal of post moves. 

Instead he seems content to rely on his physical talent and leave his skill at the same level it's always been at. To many, that's simply unacceptable.

We expect these sports heroes to give everything they have towards getting better and James has yet to make that level of commitment.

So to the people out there who dislike him for this reason, I do see where you're coming from.

But supposedly James is spending some time with Hakeem Olajuwon during the offseason and attempting to develop his game. If he becomes a gym rat and works towards becoming the best, this whole section flies out the window, which brings me to my final question. 

If this happens, can anyone outside of Cleveland justify maintaining their current dislike for the Heat star?

The answer should be no.