LeBron takes Jordan route to fame, riches
CLEVELAND, Ohio: There is a painting 10 stories tall of LeBron James on the side of a building near the Cleveland Cavaliers' arena, a giant testimony to the US basketball hero following the path of Michael Jordan.
"King" James, the slam-dunking 22-year-old playmaker who has lifted the Cavaliers to their first National Basketball Association Finals, is the most flamboyant NBA player or pitchman since Jordan led Chicago to six NBA titles.
Nike, the same sponsor who helped make Jordan a global icon, plastered James on the side of the structure as part of a seven-year, $97-million deal. Overall, James makes $150 million hawking soda, gum and lawn mowers.
Even the San Antonio Spurs, who won the first two games in the ongoing best-of-seven championship series, and seek a fourth crown in nine years, can see the future unfolding.
Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James keeps his eye on the ball while going to the net on San Antonio Spurs' Robert Horry (left) in the second quarter during Game 2 of the NBA Finals basketball series in San Antonio, Texas on Sunday. Reuters |
"Nobody is rooting for us. The world is rooting for Cleveland. They want to see the new MJ come alive," said 15-year NBA veteran Robert Horry of the Spurs.
James was fourth in NBA scoring with 27.3 points a game and also averaged 6.7 rebounds and 6.0 assists. Even after a magical 48-point semi-final effort to beat Detroit, James knows he is far from matching boyhood idol Jordan.
"I'm making a push for it. Not (there) yet," James said. "This is the first step to greatness. It feels like a fantasy."
Adding to the magic was the fact that Jordan, whose title-winning shot in 1998 thrilled James, spoke to the prodigy after the Cavaliers qualified for the NBA Finals.
"He said, 'Seize the moment. It's definitely there to take,'" James said.
In 1991, Jordan won in his finals debut over a veteran Los Angeles Lakers team that won two of the prior four NBA titles. Now James is the debutant with a young team trying to upset a club that won two of the past four NBA crowns.
James, who leads his team in the cry "championship" every time they break a huddle, is not sure a championship will cement him among the all-time NBA masters, citing the difference between team and personal achievements.
"It's not my role to say," James said. "It satisfies me more to win a championship with my team. You become one of the greats based on what you do as an individual."
"King" James without a crown? That's an unthinkable notion to Cavaliers coach Mike Brown.
"He's too driven, too talented, not to win one. To be considered one of the best of all time, you have to have one of those on your resume, at least one. It's a matter of time for him," Brown said.
Asked if he hoped to have an impact more like Muhammad Ali or Jordan, James made it clear he was aiming to be more businessman than humanitarian, but also determined to blaze his own trail either way.
"I'm going to try to be more of LeBron James," he said. "I want to end my career the best way and then just be more of a businessman. I can try to set things up for my family and pass the word to kids and older adults.
"On the business side of things, I've definitely been working to brace myself for when the NBA career is over. I know it doesn't last forever."
Four years out of high school, James often feels far older than his years.
"I don't feel 22 until I get off the court and I'm running around playing video games with my son, things like that," James said. "I just feel like a veteran. I'm kind of the leader."
James, knowing the importance of what would be Cleveland's first major sport title since 1964, will not miss a game over impending fatherhood although his girlfriend is due to give birth to his second child on Sunday.
Tim Duncan, the Spurs forward whose greatness has come with a workman-like quiet quality, marvels at a one-man gang like LeBron.
"I can't relate to him in any way," Duncan said. "I've been on more of a veteran squad. I'm a piece of the puzzle. He's a much bigger piece."
AFP
(China Daily 06/13/2007 page23)
