When learning that the Ohio High School Athletic Association ruled high school basketball superstar LeBron James ineligible for accepting free sports jerseys from a clothing store in Arkon, Ohio last week, I was unbelievably sad.
I was upset because fame is bringing controversies and scandals to a kid who just wants to play basketball and is being exploited by everyone around him.
From coast to coast, James’ is selling out college-sized arenas and his games are being broadcast worldwide on ESPN.
Shoe companies like Nike and Adidas are fighting each other to see which will be James’ shoe supplier when he plays in the NBA.
Famous sports agents are following James around and bribing him with gifts and money to get him to sign with them.
James is the most hyped-up superstar to ever come out of high school. Even though he has never played a game in the NBA, he is already being compared to the likes of Michael Jordan.
The main thing is that James is just 18-years old. In this world of about six billion people, can you count then number of famous 18-year olds?
There are not that many, but James probably leads that list just because he is gifted with a basketball.
I really hope James knows what he is getting into. The world of professional sports is a crazy industry that only cares about money.
When Fall 2003 comes around, millions of 18-year olds will move onto college campus across the planet. But James will be making millions of dollars in the NBA.
When college students will be taking a math exam or write an English term papers, James will be dazzling basketball fans around the world.
Of course many people think James should go to college, but I doubt any of those same people will turn down a chance to earn millions of dollars and become the first pick in the 2003 NBA draft, if they could.
It really bothers me whenever I hear that James is cruising down the streets of Ohio with a $50,000 Hummer instead of preparing himself for the brutal hassles of an NBA star.
He has to realize that instead of playing against little 18-year olds, he will be playing against the greatest basketball players on the planet in the NBA.
I seriously doubt NBA players like Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett is going to welcome James on the court with open arms.
If he thinks so, James should ask last year’s number one pick and hyped superstar Yao Ming if NBA players are willing to just hand him the spotlight.
I think that the first thing Ming will tell him is that he better be ready to perform 82 games over a seven month span, and that no one will give him anything in the NBA.
To become a legend or a superstar in the NBA, James will need more than hype and fame. He will need to improve his game and his decision-making skills on and off the basketball court.
James also has to realize that his life will never be the same. The privacy he enjoyed growing up is over.
Whether good or bad, everything he does between now and the end of his life will be documented in the media.
In other words, James will be a little fish in a big pond. He will be a teenager in an adult world.
And if James is going to earn any respect as a basketball great, he better start polishing his fade-away jumpshot rather than his very own “Air James.”