Is he in? Is he out? Will he continue to play for the team he’s been with for his whole career, or will he cut and run, following the money? And most importantly, can’t he just decide already? Or is this more about stroking his ego and getting people to talk about him than the sport?
Clearly, I’m talking about LeBron James, the most sought-after free agent in the NBA right now. The last three years have been building up to this moment, from James wearing a Yankees cap to hosting charity events in Akron to the “free agent summit” a couple of weeks ago. But the whole thing sounds eerily familiar, doesn’t it? Remarkably like a certain other high-profile free agent last summer. And the summer before.
Like Brett Favre.
Favre spent weeks and weeks debating whether he should retire or come back for just one more season two years ago. He had just come off a tremendously successful season with the Packers and had made a big deal about wanting to retire on top. However, once he realized retirement would take him out of the spotlight, he publicly stewed and went back and forth on the issue. After what seemed like an eternity, he ended up forcing a trade to the New York Jets.
And once we thought we’d been through the worst, he did the exact same thing the next summer, finally ending up with the Minnesota Vikings.
Admittedly, Favre has a genuine love for the game and probably couldn’t bring himself to stay away. That said, if he’d wanted to, he could have made his decision quickly and without much fanfare (like Kurt Warner, or Phil Jackson, or countless other examples). Instead, he dragged out the process as long as possible so he could remain in the spotlight. As a result, he’s beloved in Minnesota for nearly carrying them to the Super Bowl – and reviled virtually everywhere else.
He’s certainly hated in Green Bay, where he once was the single best-liked athlete in history. It’s tough to top legends like Bart Starr, but Favre played long enough and well enough to unseat him. But once he stabbed the city in the back by not only skipping town, but signing with a bitter rival, he lost all of that overnight.
It’s not as though it’s just Green Bay that hates him, too. Most of America grew sick of constantly hearing about him during the summers of 2008 and 2009. All of the credibility he’d built up over his career eroded away as it became clear he was concerned about one person and one person only – himself.
Sound familiar at all?
Looking back, we should have seen the signs. We should have recognized that when James showed up to a Cleveland Indians game wearing a Yankees cap, he didn’t care about Cleveland – or New York, for that matter. He’s looking out for number one. He just wants to make sure he’s in the spotlight for as long as possible. His every move and word are being scrutinized, and he’s certainly not doing anything to discourage that.
He was famously asked a few years ago what his long-term goals were. His response came in the form of two very revealing words: “Global icon.” Not championships. Not building up the city of Cleveland. Just international fame, pure and simple.
Now, that’s not to suggest that he needs to have purely altruistic goals because he’s famous. It’s his life, and he can do what he pleases with it. If his heart’s desire is to be famous and to have his picture plastered on every billboard in the world, far be it from me to tell him otherwise.
What I am suggesting, however, is that none of us should have been surprised when he turned out to be the basketball reincarnation of Brett Favre.
The kicker, of course, was last night’s announcement that he was going to announce his free agent signing in a live, hour-long ESPN show. That, combined with his sudden decision to join Twitter and the unveiling of lebronjames.com, lets us know that this is an event that the entire world should consider themselves privileged to be a part of. At least, that’s what James seems to think.
Really, there’s only two ways his decision could go. He could decide, after years of dragging it out, that he wants to stay in Cleveland after all. In that case, Cleveland loves him, but for the rest of America, the bloom is gone from the rose at being subjected to the free agent circus of the last few weeks. On the other hand, he could decide to sign with New York, Chicago, or wherever else, in which case the new city loves him, America is still sick of him, and Cleveland absolutely hates him.
In short, exactly the same situation as Brett Favre.
So enjoy the spotlight while you can, LeBron. I’m here to tell you that none of us will think of you the same way after this summer.
As for me, I just want him to go away.