It only took two seasons for LeBron James to reach the gates of a new feat: bringing the Lakers to the zenith of the NBA, the American basketball league. Arrived in July 2018 in the legendary Los Angeles franchise, the 35-year-old star player is playing, from Wednesday September 30, his tenth final, against the Miami Heat.
If today Lakers fans can only rejoice to see their team return to this end-of-season peak for the first time since 2010, many of them had displayed incomprehension, even resentment when LeBron James, from of Cleveland, had signed in the Californian club.
The retirement, two years earlier, of idol Kobe Bryant had not yet been fully digested. “It was hard for some fans, because they had the feeling that the rival was coming to take the place of the local hero”says Roy, a supporter who has always loved James. “It didn’t fit to see him with the Lakers jersey, admits Evan Fournier, the French player of the Magic of Orlando. He was in Cleveland and it would have been nice if he ended his career there. Even today, I find it weird. “
LeBron James was always careful to stay in his place against Kobe Bryant, who did not hesitate to come in person to attend the rookie’s games, as if to dub him in the public eye. Bryant’s disappearance in a helicopter crash in January added a dramatic dimension to the Lakers’ journey this season. LeBron James never ceases to proclaim it: he is on a mission to honor his memory.
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Business acumen
If, today, the motivation of “King James” is no doubt, two years ago, it aroused skepticism. For some, the string was a bit thick: LeBron James was starting his post-career under the sun and the Californian palm trees, the ideal living environment for his business. “Los Angeles is the movies, the ads, but you have to win at some point”, had teased on television the retired Shaquille O’Neal, four times champion, including three in the jersey of the Lakers.
Because LeBron James, who has already gleaned three NBA titles (two with Miami, one with Cleveland) has long had his napkin ring in Hollywood. His production company, SpringHill Entertainment, created in 2007, allowed him to gain a foothold in entertainment by producing the game show “The Wall” on the NBC channel, or appearing in documentaries and feature films.
In June, LeBron James and his childhood friend who became his right-hand man in business, Maverick Carter, announced that they had raised 100 million dollars (85 million euros) to create SpringHill Company, a multimedia company that will offer content highlighting creators who, according to the basketball player, do not usually have the opportunity to express themselves.
Social and political commitment
Has a business sense that has rarely been denied – his stake in the headphone brand Beats Electronics enabled him to recover at least $ 30 million when the company was bought by Apple in 2014 – LeBron James wants to add a dimension social.
In 2018, his association The LeBron James Family Foundation opened a school in his hometown of Akron (Ohio) to fight against truancy, an illness he suffered in his youth due to his mother’s many moves.
“He is almost changing the school model of the country”
“It is the child of the country, enthuses the Democratic Mayor of Akron, Dan Horrigan. He is doing so much for education here that he is almost changing the school model of the country. It is an absolute icon, a model for children and adults. “
Under the slogan “More than an athlete” – “more than an athlete” – LeBron James has long heard outside the framework of basketball. His positions during the George Floyd affair, this black man who died in Minneapolis (Minnesota) in May following a brutal arrest, only confirmed an activism assumed in particular since the death in 2012 of Trayvon Martin , a black teenager killed in Florida by a security guard who found him suspicious.
At the time, James, who was playing for the Miami Heat, posted a photo of himself and his teammates, his face hidden in the hood of a sweater, which has become a symbol of the fight against racial violence.
“The last time we had great athletes involved in social justice fights, it was in the 1960s, notes Broderick Turner, journalist at Los Angeles Times. Today, most prefer to stay confined to sport but LeBron James is not afraid to speak up. “
In this presidential election year in the United States, the Lakers player participates in the “More than a vote” movement to facilitate electoral registration procedures in order to slow Donald Trump’s ascent to a second term.
In the footsteps of Michael Jordan
All this would almost make you forget that LeBron James is above all an exceptional player, nicknamed “The Chosen One” (“The Chosen One”). Already in 2016, he had brought Cleveland to the sky, magnifying his return to the fold after a four-year exile in Florida. “LeBron’s story is beautiful, because he was announced as the future megastar when he left high school. Most of the time, the kids screw up, but he has lived up to expectations, and even surpassed them ”, Evan Fournier analysis.
What feed the recurring debate on the mark he will leave in the NBA when he retires from the courts – his contract of 153 million dollars (130.86 million euros) with the Lakers still runs for two seasons. In American sports shows, the comparison with legend Michael Jordan is a chestnut tree.
“He’s one of the smartest players in the game in all of history, advance Broderick Turner, from Los Angeles Times. He is less selfish than the other legends. For example, when Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant had three opponents on their backs, they were like: “I’m going to go score anyway”. LeBron James thought to himself: “I’m going to make the right pass to score my teammates.” “
Eighth best passer in the history of the NBA, the “King” is nonetheless the third best scorer, better than his idol Jordan, of which he wears the same number 23. But “James is clearly below” for Evan Fournier. “When you listen to the former players, they are all unanimous because where Jordan made the difference is in the state of mind, he was a killer. “
By winning a fourth title with a different third team, LeBron James would strike a blow in the minds of the most resistant. “I still haven’t bought my James jersey, explains Dionicio, die-hard Lakers fan, who sports a flocked Bryant jersey. It’ll make me weird, but if he wins, it’s possible. And this is the sign that he will be a member of the Lakers family. ” One more mission for “King James”.
Favorite Lakers against the Heat
The NBA final between the Lakers and the Miami Heat, in the health bubble of Orlando (Florida), begins on the night of Wednesday, September 30 to Thursday 1er October, Paris time (on BeIN Sports at 3 a.m., live). The first team with a total of four wins (the final can take up to seven games) will be titled. If they win, the Lakers, whose last coronation dates from 2010, will make history: with 17 coronations, they will join the Boston Celtics as the most successful franchise in the NBA.
For LeBron James, this duel will have a special flavor, since it is with the Miami club that he won two of his three titles (2012 and 2013). The “King” did everything to grant himself a new ring, demanding, in the summer of 2019, after a difficult first season due to the inexperience of the workforce, the arrival of Anthony Davis at his side. Carried by this duo, and an incisive Rajon Rondo in the pass, the Lakers start favorites against a team of the Heat led by Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, who present themselves as outsiders. As if to better leave the pressure to the Lakers and prepare a big surprise.
