Monday Musings: Overdoing the LeBron Celebration

I know I've been pumping out a lot of LeBron articles these days, but I can't help it. The guy is historically good, and his team is starting to look like the runaway favorites to win another Larry O'Brien trophy (plus February is the slowest month for pro sports, so you can't blame me). While I can't say that I'm a big fan of King James, you'd have to be crazy to not respect his nightly efforts, and watch in awe as he destroys team after team. He's amazing, and most of his daily doings should be celebrated. Most. Aren't we overdoing it a little bit though, guys?

If you're an NBA fan and don't know Adrian Wojnarowski, get it together. Woj is a Yahoo! Sports writer, and is one of the best insiders covering the NBA today. I love his stuff; he knows his shit. But his recent article—written in the "everything-LeBron-does-is-historic" tone that is becoming overplayed these days—really bothered me. Here it is. 

Getty Images

Essentially, the article boils down to this: LeBron is playing at a level above all the petty stuff that sometimes nags other NBA players; LBJ can't be bothered with distractions, he's only out to win. Woj's primary example of this is how LeBron is currently distancing himself from all the dunk contest controversy surrounding him, and is above the $1 million offer Magic Johnson trotted out in an attempt to get James in next years' contest. For Wojnarowski, and a lot of other people, this is something to be celebrated (as if we weren't doing enough LeBron hailing already); it's  all about an athlete so focused on winning, and so driven that he soars above all the noise.

Woj is right in some sense. Athletes who commit themselves solely to winning are often cheered as true competitors, and revered by fans. But let's get real here for a second: are we actually celebrating LeBron for not being in the dunk contest? Are we, as basketball fans, so caught up in the LeBron hoopla that we are cheering the fact that one of the NBA's best dunkers and biggest stars is not willing to showcase his skills on All-Star Weekend? Are we that lost as fans?

You can say that dunk contests are meaningless in the long run, and you'd be correct. You can say that LeBron is only driven by championship rings, which is almost certainly true. But you cannot tell me that a dunk contest headlined by LeBron wouldn't be amazing. You can't. You'd be a liar if you did. It'd be must-see TV.

I'm not suggesting LeBron's legacy depends on it, or anything stupid like that. But honestly, we'd all lose our minds if LeBron actually entered the contest, and it'd be one hell of a show. We should all want it to happen. Every single NBA fan should want LeBron in a dunk contest. And at some level, we should be disappointed if it never pans out.

So let's celebrate LeBron for things he actually does: his sublime play, his dominance in crunch time, his leadership, etc. But let's leave it at that. Once we all start hailing the things he doesn't do, I think we've gone a bit too far.