Basketball fans know him as “King James.”
Lebron James was already being hailed as a future NBA superstar when he was a sophomore in high school. At age 18 he signed a contract with Nike and then became the number one draft pick to the Cleveland Cavaliers straight out of high school. He was the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2003 and led the Cavs to consecutive NBA playoffs from 2006 to 2010. And then came the time to exercise his free agency. That’s when all Hades broke loose in the King James world. BleacherReport.com columnist Aaron Green probably summarized it best for Cavs fans everywhere:
“For months, I had anticipated an emotional press conference where James would say how much he loved Cleveland and the Cavaliers organization. He would tell Cavs fans everywhere that he came to Cleveland intending to bring the city its highly sought-after title, and he’s not going anywhere until that’s accomplished.”
There was a press conference. But it wasn’t at all what Cavs fans had expected. They were hoping that King James would be the NBA savior who pulled them out of a 46-year drought. Instead, James announced on national TV, “I’m going to take my talents to South Beach and join the Miami Heat . . . I feel like it’s going to give me the best opportunity to win and to win for multiple years, and . . . to win championships.”
Ouch. To be fair, “saving” the Cavs was a tough cross to take up for a rising superstar, but James did it. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the courage or motivation to stick with it until the end. Given the chance, James chose to come down from that cross and take what many fans considered to be the easy way out by signing with the Miami Heat.
Whether you are a basketball fan or not, I’d like to hear your opinion on the decision by Lebron James: Do you think he made the right move? More importantly, what crosses have you had to bear in your own life (could be “good” or “bad” crosses)? Were you able to bear them until the end, or did you find an easier way out?
Sometimes the crosses we bear are both unhelpful and fully deserved. Sometimes they are neither. I hope you’ve taken the time to reconsider the significance of the cross of Christ and of His willingness to endure that cross for us all.