From The Big Lead, I clipped and pasted evidence of the conventional wisdom surrounding one of Lebron James’ oft-discussed landing possibilities: The Chicago Bulls.
Why would LeBron go to a franchise where he has no chance of being the best ever? Chicago will always be Michael Jordan’s city. The Bulls drafted him, he won six rings, became the best player of all-time, is considered the ultimate competitor, blah, blah, blah. The comparisons to Jordan will haunt LeBron forever. Misses a game-winning shot? Jordan would have made it. Doesn’t win three titles in a row? Jordan did.
I don’t mean to rail on TBL – they’re not alone. After all, the dueling legacies is a popular refrain among sportswriters. The logic appears sound: The only way the King can truly rise to status of icon Michael Jordan is to escape Michael Jordan’s shadow completely. The last thing he’d want to do is ink a deal in the city Jordan owned. Right?
Unless this notion is completely counterintuitive.
Lebron James is a unique basketball player: freakishly athletic, amazingly skilled, possessing a sublime mental, genius gift for the game. He has repeated successes and failures, and he is 25. these things are all true.James already is regarded as peerless – the best player in the game. He already is regarded higher than Kobe Bryant, a Jordan imitator to the point of surpass. He is perhaps otherworldly, unlike any other player except, perhaps ,Jordan.
James, more than most, is fully aware of his legacy. He is fully aware of his potential to rank in the game’s Pantheon. He is fully aware, also, of his legacy’s keepers.
Who are these guardians?
Who do you think?
Sportswriters. Fans. People like us.
And to a man, whom do sportswriters regard as the greatest player of all time?
To most sportswriters, bloggers, (and particularly Midwestern white sportswriters) Michael Jordan cannot be exceeded. He is without peer, without comparison. He is without a doubt the greatest ever. Not only is he a player of great import, but also a wonderful human being; an athletic icon – one in a million.
These sportswriters are the gatekeepers of the Jordan legacy. They vigorously oppose any comparisons or suggestions that Jordan can ever have peer. Hell, even statistical support for players such as Magic, Shaq, Kobe, or Bird is universally dismissed – and not even entertained. I know, how dare us?
Everyone asks, then: How can Lebron ever expect to rise past the stronghold of Jordan as the “Game’s Greatest Player?”
Simple. By confronting the beast in his former stomping grounds.
Think about it. If Michael Jordan is the greatest player, every challenger from now until the end of time is a rival, and even more so if he plays in a distant city. How better than to slip past Jordan’s gatekeepers, than by winning more titles and winning more hearts in the city he called home?
Chicagoans will never forget Michael Jordan. Chicago media will never forget Michael Jordan. Paranoid columnists will never forget Michael Jordan.
But if Lebron is in Chicago, it no longer matters. Because then fans nor media don’t have to forget Michael Jordan. No one is telling them to. Lebron isn’t competing with MJ, he’s seeking to extend Michael Jordan’s legacy. Instead of a challenger, he supplements Jordan’s greatness. He redefines Chicago Bulls success, not as a conquering hero, but as a successor. No one’s going to compare Jordan to Lebron. They’re going to look at Lebron as an extension of Chicago greatness.
Chicago is then on the map akin to Boston and L.A. Lebron is heir to MJ, just as Bird was to Russell, Magic to West, Shaq to Kareem to Wilt, or Kobe to Magic. The larger-than-life presence of Babe Ruth never hurt Joe D, or Mickey Mantle, or Derek Jeter. James, a Yankee fan and student, now co-exists with Michael Jordan. His comparisons become irrelevant in the minds of Jordan’s most vociferous proponents.
After all, he’s winning more titles in honor of MJ’s memory. He’s keeping the torch alive. He’s pursuing Jordan-like greatness in concert with Mike, instead of against.
Sure, reasonable Chicago minds may disagree – after several years, some may argue for James, others argue for Jordan. But in the end, the reasonable minds can puff their chests, buy another round, and celebrate moments of legend. After all, they’ll have 9 total titles or 6 more titles or another threepeat, or whatever. Who really cares – they’re all interested in the Bulls, and the Bulls have the two greatest players ever. No one else can say that. Who can argue?
And so then, LeBron James has in Chicago what he never would in New York, or Cleveland, or Miami. He’s not trying to rebuild a franchise. He’s not trying to keep a city relevant, and he’s not trying to enjoy the perks of celebrity in Miami.
Instead, he’s merely an extension of the greatness of Chicago Bulls basketball, the latest legend in a city’s adoration. If he turns out to be the greatest player ever, well, that’s fantastic. But Chicago, and Jordan fans, will settle for the lineage. James, perhaps, is counting on it.
Interesting and original take, JH. But I can’t help but think that King James is like most everyone else in one respect: It really is about HIM. The Chicago Bulls franchise is defined by one man, and one decade of dominance. We’re not talking about players in their prime wanting to go to the Lakers or the Celtics, to experience what it’s like to be in the embrace of such tradition. So in that sense, I don’t think anyone’s looking at the legacy of Chicago, and adding to it. It’s legacy is MJ, and that bronze statue out front. Anything else, outside of 7 rings in a decade’s time, will only pale in comparison, and I don’t believe that idea will satisfy LeBron.
You may be right. I would also allow for the possibility that it’s actually a giant F-U to Jordan, and that James is so completely confident he’ll prove the superior player, that he’s willing even to play for MJ’s former team to show us all.