LeBron James has been recording triple-doubles more often these days than Chandler Parsons is dating smokeshows. He managed to post a triple-double average in a month for the first time in his career in February this season, scoring 27.0 points, grabbing 10.5 rebounds, and dishing out 10.5 assists in 10 games.

Then he nearly followed that up with yet another trip-dub month by slashing 30.9 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 9.5 assists in March. April does not offer James as many games, but he is on pace to average a triple-double anyway in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ six-game schedule in this month with a current stat line of 30.5 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 10.8 assists. All this when the Cavs have needed it the most.

Apart from LeBron going on an almost nightly statistical assault in his quest to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers back to winning the NBA championship trophy they lost to the Golden State Warriors just last year, there is another phenomenon some might have already observed, albeit one that concerns more about The King’s behavior rather than his on-court exploits: LeBron James has become full of himself.

It is impossible not to notice James’ feats and achievements this season even if you’re not paying close attention to the NBA. For one, the media is as omnipresent around James, as he is on the hard court. But James has also been doing his own part in spreading the word of his own basketball supremacy by constantly patting himself on the back. It has come to the point that whenever he breaks a record, dunks all over some poor player’s face, or makes an incredible play, it should be expected that he’d follow that up with a “Hey, look at me” post on social media.

This is not the ideal way to garner new fans for James. People generally do not like it when superstar athletes are among the first ones to say to their faces – at least online in this case – that they are great and that they are on the cusp of next-level greatness, much like when LeBron congratulated himself on Instagram for a milestone he had yet to reach but certainly would have eventually. That was when the four-time MVP recently wrote himself a self-massaging congratulatory letter for his pending inclusion in the 30,000-point club.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BeTAoFBBxbG/

Wanna be one of the first to Congratulate you on this accomplishment/achievement tonight that you’ll reach! Only a handful has reach/seen it too and while I know it’s never been a goal of yours from the beginning try(please try) to take a moment for yourself on how you’ve done it! The House you’re about to be apart of has only 6 seats in it(as of now) but 1 more will be added and you should be very proud and honored to be invited inside. There’s so many people to thank who has help this even become possible(so thank them all) and when u finally get your moment(alone) to yourself smile, look up to the higher skies and say THANK YOU! So with that said, Congrats again Young King ! 1 Love! #striveforgreatness #thekidfromakron

Take note that LeBron composed this letter when he was still a point away from making it to the said exclusive group of bucket-getter luminaries. That sailor did not kiss the nurse in Time Square when the Allies landed on the beach of Normandy. He did it right after the Japanese's surrender was confirmed.

This is also the same reason why James is not likely going to have much success in cutting down the number of his surplus of critics and haters. Take for example Stephen Jackson, who probably is as known today for being a former player as for his critical takes of the Cavs superstar. In a recent appearance on ESPN’s Golic and Wingo, Jackson voiced his negative appraisal of LeBron following The King’s proclamation that his monster dunk over Portland Trail Blazers big man Jusuf Nurkic would go down as among the best in the history of the game.

After prefacing his talk by saying LeBron is no doubt an all-time great, Jackson went on to hammer down a point that he palpably was so itching to blurt out from the beginning.

“He is the only superstar that I have ever seen in the NBA that pats himself on the back. He is the only superstar that has to be told that he is great.”

Jackson, like so many others, finds it unbelievable that a player of LeBron’s caliber and stature still feels the need for a brighter limelight.

LeBron has not always been seen as an intrinsically down-to-earth figure. It’s hard to argue against that since his legacy will always include “The Decision” not to mention that he once belittled his haters by saying “they have to wake up tomorrow and have the same life that they had before they woke up today. They have the same personal problems they had today.”

Plus there was the instance that James issued a public announcement that he’s the “best player in the world.” All these surely mean that we won’t be waking up tomorrow discovering LeBron James’ face drawn beside the word “humble” in a Merriam-Webster.

So if we’re asking whether LeBron is tired of being humble, that may not be the most accurate way to question his persona. Rather, it should be what is driving James to have this elevated level of egotism.

Perhaps for all his accomplishments, titles, and mind-bending Hall of Fame-worthy numbers, he honestly thinks that there is a mismatch between the public’s perception and his own in terms of his greatness. This is not entirely a new idea in the realm of pro sports, a world littered with personalities with bloated egos, but James is the rare kind that has every possible hardware in his trophy case and every kind of highlight in his video montage to back up his perceived arrogance.

Maybe James is really insecure about Michael Jordan, the widely acclaimed Greatest of All-Time, that he feels the need to partake in fanning his own flames. His chase for the ghost is not yet over. He is far from done. Playing in his 15th season in the league, LeBron can continue to pump out one tantalizing performance after another, and he still will not get the universal recognition that Michael Jordan enjoys. He won’t be 6-0 in the Finals. That boat has sailed a long time ago. And with that being the end-all and be-all GOAT argument-ender of choice for the pro-Jordan camp, James will have to beat MJ in another way – winning more MVPs than the former Chicago Bulls shooting guard. (He recently just said he would award himself an MVP vote this season if given the chance.) By giving props to himself, James is hoping it would help influence MVP voters to look his way and give him his fifth Maurice Podoloff trophy this season, which would tie him with Jordan and move him an MVP way from surpassing MJ in that category.

LeBron James is big on Kendrick Lamar. He is a huge fan of K-Dot but his actions of late apparently are not abiding by the very axiom one of Kendrick’s most famous gospels is established upon.