The Decision has been made - LeBron James will spend his foreseeable future playing in South Beach Florida, hooping for the Miami Heat in the National Basketball Association.
The magnitude and the bizarre nature of The Decision will be felt on two fronts: how the next five to ten years play out for the Miami Heat and ultimately the NBA; and how the international sporting media reflects on its own behaviour during this unprecedented episode.
As the New York Times has written today the hoopla surrounding James’ decision has been unprecedented. Twitter has been a flutter for weeks as potential suitors, President Obama included, tried to pin the tail on the 25 year old.
In the quest to become the world’s second billionaire athlete – James and his brain trust combined with US sporting network ESPN to capitalise, make that metamorphose, the typically mundane act of a free-agent committing to a team into an indulgent one hour special.
While James ensured that all advertising revenue raised during the program was dutifully given to charity; the move reeked of a marketing savvy and grit that even a turpentine cleansing would find hard to shake.
The questions quickly arose of ESPN’s editorial credibility: would ESPN reporters risk their integrity by freezing tip-offs until after the special aired; should a network pander to the quest of a superstar looking to become a super-duper-star; and will the network be tarnished and tagged with dumbing down to TMZ standards?
I do not see a problem with an exclusive sporting network showcasing what some might consider a trivial by product of day to day sport coverage, it’s ESPN’s prerogative and after all it’s a network that covers what? Sport!
As far as I can tell ESPN reporters did not withhold any information or fail in their duty to cover the event objectively.
As far as the future of the NBA goes well fans are in for a ride. Can Miami build, who also resigned Heat star Dwayne Wade and former Toronto Raptor Chris Bosh, afford to build a championship squad around three superstars.
One thing is for certain the Heat will instantly become the fan-favourite team to root against – taking the mantle from current title holders the L.A Lakers.
I’m salivating at the prospect of Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant taking it to both James and Wade over the next few years; will it be James or Wade who takes the final shot in crunch time?
Will James win more titles than Bryant’s five or Michael Jordan’s six and become a super-duper-star in South Beach? We’ll have to wait and see.
It’s going to be a fun ride and as recently retired NBA stalwart Rasheed Wallace likes to say ‘Ball don’t lie’.
If you think it’s worthy and can spare the ink please email your thoughts, opinions to litresofink@gmail.com
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