Daddy James
LeBron James just can’t get any slack. Even his mere attendance at a basketball game of his son’s team has been placed under scrutiny. Admittedly, he calls attention to himself in manners other parents can’t and those from the outside looking in may deem overenthusiastic at best. Joining players’ pickup lines to throw down dunks and celebrating to the point where he becomes the focus of attention instead of the action on the court isn’t normal by any means. Which is why he has been pilloried by armchair pundits and on social media.
On the other hand, James isn’t just any proud father; he’s LeBron Freaking James, among the best of the best at the sport he’s watching and by far the most recognizable athlete in North America, if not the world, precisely because of the polarizing figure he cuts. He gets called out any which way, from every conceivable angle, and for the most ridiculous of reasons. And because nobody has been living under a rock all this time, all eyes invariably become glued to him no matter what he does. And, make no mistake, he would have courted criticism even if he stayed passive throughout the North Coast Blue Chips’ 14U Invite championship match.
Knowing this to be the truth, James simply resolves to do what he does. He doesn’t care about the opinions of quarters he can’t ever please, anyway. What he’s truly impassioned about are clear: Basketball, his son, and his son’s teammates. It’s why he doesn’t think twice about indulging in high-flying slams; he sees himself as part of their team. And about cheering for outstanding plays. In reacting to one memorable give-and-go sequence during the title match, for example, he basked to such an extreme that he invaded the court, lost his right shoe while kicking the air, and gave a chest bump. The clincher? LeBron Junior wasn’t even suited up.
Little wonder, then, that the Blue Chips love James. Sure, they get special perks like support from Nike and coaching from him. And, sure, they benefit from their association with Bronnie. Then again, he gives his time freely, and his praise unreservedly. And, in response, they return the affection. In particular, AAU Star Dior Johnson took to Twitter to defend him, arguing that “This is Crazy to see … you guys take what this man does off the court for granted … sounds like hate … My Dad has never been to ONE of my basketball Games … In fact I haven’t even seen my father in 4 Years lol.”
Needless to say, the sight of 15-year-old kids providing measured perspectives serves only to underscore the myopic lens with which James is viewed by supposedly learned shapers of opinion who can’t even get their facts straight. The latter don’t matter to him, though. The former do; as far as he’s concerned, he’s doing right by them, and, in their progress, they by him. Enough said.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.