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The 1996 Chicago Bulls or the 2016 Golden State Warriors? That version of the run-and-gun Warriors broke the longtime record of wins in a regular season by ending up with a 73-9 standing. That would automatically put them as the best team of all-time, right? Oh, wait a minute. The 72-10 Michael Jordan-led Bulls ended up with the championship, something that the Warriors failed to do that season.
Now, which team was better?
Well, that’s a hard choice to make. Let’s go to another category, then. How about another round of debate for the case of the greatest of all-time player or the GOAT? Would you go for the 6-foot-6, air-defying, sweet-shooting, six-time world champion? Or maybe you would bet your bucks on that do-it-all, burly but quick, four-time most valuable player? Simply put, would it be Michael or LeBron James?
Yes, it’s a difficult choice. Just ask the Lakers legendary center and hall of famer, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. In a recent interview that he had with Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated, the famous center known for his unstoppable skyhook claimed that the debate for the best player ever is an impossible case. He implied that the game has changed drastically nowadays. With that said, the style of play has been different today so it is very difficult to compare players from two different eras. Tip your hats to this man for creating a unique solution to this longtime debate.
Let’s approach this “GOAT” thing in an even more unique stance. NBA players are popular for their on-court achievements and success. Championships and rings will always be the basis for which is the best team or the best player in the league. But in the course of the league’s history, only one player stands out as unprecedented in his influence to the society as LeBron James. Always been known as the “Kid from Akron”, James has endured a turmoil of criticism for arguably quitting on the Cavaliers’ playoff run in 2009 and for joining forces with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh the year after. The on-screen fracas where he made his decision on taking his talents to South Beach put him in the role of the league’s top villain.
But after winning two championships in Miami, returning to Cleveland to fulfill his promise of delivering the long-coveted crown for the city, and bravely taking his stand on social injustice and inequality, the people are now seeing James for who he truly is — an athlete who would not just shut up and dribble.
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This Monday, James permanently fixed his stature as one of the most important athletes in history. Aside from the constant big donations that he gives to his foundation, he now has formally opened his I Promise School, a public school in eastern Ohio that will holistically address the needs of students coming from difficult and financially incapable family backgrounds.
What sets this school apart from other academies is its dedicated service for the students, even outside the school. It will provide job placement assistance for parents of the students, assist the students in coping up with stress due to economic causes, and provide a platform for them to be successful by guaranteeing free college tuition to all graduates of the school.
That’s an incredible body of work coming from a man who didn’t have a father present in his childhood. Someone who had to go through the everyday anxiety of how he and his mother could consistently put food on the table.
Someone who had to live through the harsh expectations of being foreseen as the world’s greatest basketball player ever — back then at the young age of 18. Someone who has always been an active and hands-on father to his three children while greatly exceeding the limitations of what a 33-year old can do in the NBA. With social media and the Internet becoming a way of life, athletes and celebrities have all kinds of opportunities to be the best model and influence to people. King James just showed them how.
