My essay on Lebron James, new Cleveland Cavalier player

[ShaneGR]

Before I sing the praises of Lebron James, I must divulge that I am in fact from the Cleveland area, Akron actually. Lebron grew up in the same city as I did, with a population of somewhere around 500,000. He played High School basketball at St. Vincent-St. Mary, my high school's biggest rival.

I first saw James play football for St. V.'s football team. He was a Sophomore and it's kind of hard to miss a 6'5" muscular wide-receiver. I think he caught five or six passes and was a great blocker. I turned to the kid next to me and asked, "Who's that receiver?"

The kid turned to me and said, "That's Lebron James, the best basketball player I have ever seen."

So naturally, I was intrigued. When my high school played James' team, I called the Alumni office and got a ticket. What I saw that day was beyond expectations. As a sophomore, James scored 37 points, had about 20 rebounds, and racked up around 15 assists. He glided effortlessly up and down the floor, putting on a show of passing, dunking, and shooting.

He was 15 years old.

Over the next two years I probably saw Lebron play about 10 times. By his junior year, this high-school team was drawing 20,000 people to area arenas. James kept getting bigger, eventually leveling out at 6'8" tall. His game improved as he got bigger. Eventually it became clear that this kid wasn't like Michael Jordan at all, he was looking a LOT like Magic Johnson with leaping ability. Tall, agile, great dribbler, strong, and extremely smart. He understood the game. James once had 25 assists in a game during his Junior year. He got tired of scoring so he just started passing. By the end of his junior year James' team was #1 in the country, playing in arenas NATIONWIDE, and the press was all over him. Adidas even spent $150k on billboards in Akron, trying to get the kid to sign a contract with them. He was on the cover of every major sports magazine in the country.

He was 17 years old, not even out of high-school.

A minor miracle occured, and Cleveland was saved from 5 years of dull sports teams. They won the lottery. Bigtime jackpot for the city. To top it off, Lebron grew up here, so he doesn't have to uproot his entire life (Like most athletes do).

Over the summer James was whisked around the country, attending awards ceremonies, MTV events, and People named him one of the most beautiful people in the country.

He had just turned 18.And then last night, there is James opening his career on the road in Sacremento.

Gliding up and down the court, passing, shooting, dunking, and smiling the whole time. With his single mother at courtside. Oblivious to pressure, and simply magnificent.

25 points, 9 assists, 8 rebounds. Even the Sacremento fans were oooing and awwinng.

Watch this kid. Athletes like him only come along every 30 years. I have never seen anything like it. Pure talent mixed with a complete understanding of the game and a lot of poise.


He's only 18 years old.