The Man Now Known As...James

When LeBron Raymone James was drafted #1 by the Cleveland Cavaliers, I knew I was witnessing history being made. In all my years of watching pro basketball, I had never seen so much hype and praise given to someone who had just turned 18 years old. You were Neo, Luke Skywalker, Jeff Jerrett, Brock Lesnar, and Doogie Howser all rolled into one. You were supposed to be THE CHOSEN ONE, KING JAMES, THE MESSIAH, THE ONE SENT HERE BY DR. JAMES NAISMITH TO SHOW US MERE MORTALS HOW THE GAME OF BASKETBALL WAS MEANT TO BE PLAYED IN THE FUTURE.

Somewhere along the lines something happened. You were living up to expectations, but you started to receive criticism from the same people you thought were "dick riding" you. Your accomplishments were amazing....ROOKIE OF THE YEAR, 2 TIME MVP, 4 TIME ALL NBA 1ST TEAM, 2 TIME ALL NBA 2ND TEAM, 2 TIME 1ST TEAM ALL DEFENSIVE, 2 TIME ALL STAR MVP, AND NBA SCORING CHAMPION. In your mind you were THE CHOSEN ONE. But there was just one problem, you really wasn't. You wanted the title, but not the responsibility that went along with it. Deep down you admitted this, because you said on occasion that Kobe was the best player in basketball. But you still held out hope that your obvious flaws would not be seen.

James figured that he'd taken those mutherfuckin' Cavs to the NBA Finals, the Eastern Conference Finals twice and they had the best record the last two years. That should count for something, right? Ask MJ, BIRD, MAGIC or KOBE....YOU GREATNESS IS DEFINED BY WINNING THE CHIP! Not dancing, shucking and jiving and playing well in the regular season. Your peers all love you and have bore witness to your greatness, so why can't the media do the same?

James, even with your setbacks, you were still on pace to pass Kobe and MJ as the best ever. A couple of Chips in Cleveland would have made you a global icon. But I guess the pressure was too much. You saw everything that Kobe had to go through and you said, "Fuck that, It has to be an easier way". I don't want to be The Man. I just want to be a billionaire, win some chips, and build my brand. Guess what, that shit is OK for Chris Bosh and D-Wade, but not for a mutherfucker who calls himself THE KING.

When you declared in front of a national televised audience that you were taking your talents to South Beach, AMERICA uttered the words made famous by Tupac Shakur aka Roland Bishop in Juice....THIS NIGGA SCARED!!!!!!!!!
I am not mad at you for the reasons everyone else states. I'm mad at you for depriving me of watching you try to fulfill your destiny and take your place amongst the greats of all time. I never liked Michael Jordan, but I enjoyed watching his greatness. He made ball worth looking at because I rooted for every team that went up against his Bulls and he set a standard that guys are still trying to eclipse. I thought you were that kind of player, but I was wrong.

A man who calls himself The Chosen One doesn't run to another team to play with stars. They come to him. Instead of playing with D-Wade, you should want to beat his ass. I don't know about you, but there is nobody I want to beat in any form of competition worse than my brothers and my bestfriends. It is the raw emotion and the bragging rights that come from beating them that makes challenging them worth it.

James...ask yourself one question, Can a man who is called THE CHOSEN ONE and KING JAMES ever fulfill his true destiny by playing in South Beach and deflecting all of the attention and pressure off of himself and onto his other teammates? A FRANCHISE PLAYER WANTS THE GLORY AS WELL AS THE BLAME FOR HIS TEAMS SUCCESS OR LACK THERE OF. I saw that SI cover with you in the background looking like Tito Jackson and I just shook my head. It is the end of an era that never officially begun and for that you are guilty as charged. I'm sorry LeBron Raymone James but I can't even call you Queen James anymore, because the respect is gone. You leave me with no other choice. YOU WILL NOW BE REFERRED TO AS JUST JAMES. Nothing more, nothing less.

JAMES...