Wednesday, June 13, 2018

THE KING AND I

This will be a short one on account of I’m working hard on my first Vast Accumulation of Stuff garage sale. It’s about sports, so those readers who go all pouty when sports are mentioned should probably stop reading today’s blog and play with your action figures. It has always amazed me that so many comics fans are dismissive of sports, in the same way people who don’t read comics are dismissive of our passion. Look in the mirror, people.

The Golden State Warriors, the dominant team in the NBA, have once again swept my hometown Cleveland Cavaliers in the finals. LeBron James delivered magnificent performances in this series, despite playing the last three games with a busted hand. One more reason I consider him the greatest basketball player of all time.

James has choices ahead of him. He can become a free agent and go to a team that might give him a better chance of getting another of the championship rings he craves. I couldn’t fault him if he chose to do that. Sports pundits cling to the notion that such rings are the determining factor in naming a player the greatest. I couldn’t disagree more.

Rings are a reflection of a team. James is not a one-man team, even if it sometimes seems that way. When I call James the best player in basketball history, it’s based on his individual accomplishments and skills. Look at his stats. Watch how he commands the court with his superior abilities and knowledge. Consider that he may well be the smartest basketball player of all time. He knows his stuff and that’s obvious in almost every game he plays.

But James wants rings. I get that. I wish he could get them right here in Cleveland. I’m not sure that he can.

James has been a powerful progressive force in our community. His hometown Akron. His work town Cleveland. Across the nation with his fearlessness in speaking out for what’s right and walking the walk when it comes to helping people. He’s a damn good man.

Whether James leaves Cleveland or stays with the Cavaliers, I will still consider him a great man. I’d love to meet him. I’d love to send him copies of Black Lightning: Cold Dead Hands. If I write an ongoing Black Lightning series, I’d like to have James appear in a scene I’ve had in mind almost since the start of my work on that series. .

Maybe I’ll get that chance to meet James and maybe I won’t. If I do meet him, I want to shake his hopefully-healed hand. I would love to tell him face-to-face that I admire him and all he’s done in his relatively young life. He’s not a damn good man. He’s a damn great man. I wish him all the best.

Assuming I haven’t been crushed beneath a pile of comic-book boxes, I’ll be back tomorrow with more stuff.

© 2018 Tony Isabella

1 comment:

  1. LeBron has a posse of leeches and hangers-on, like so many other star athletes, who push him toward chasing the money when he really doesn't need it. He should stay in Cleveland and not betray them a 2nd time. LaVar Ball, the Fred Sanford of the NBA, wants LeBron in LA to play with his kid. LeBron has a home in LA, but doesn't need to play there.

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