LeBron James: Best in the World?

Last week, LeBron James led the Miami Heat to the NBA Championship. James averaged 30 points, nearly 10 rebounds, and five assists per game throughout the playoffs. These numbers are unheard of, unparalleled in the playoffs, and should squelch talk that James could not lead a team to a title.

Who will be the next NBA superstar labeled “can’t win the big one”? With 30 teams, there will always be outstanding players who have never won an NBA title. Some of this is under a player’s control, but some of it (teammates, opponents, and the finite number of players who can win a title in any given year) is beyond their control.

What is the psychology behind the media and fans wanting to label some of the top athletes as choke artists and unable to win the big game? When dealing with the top players in the world, and recognizing that not all of them can win a title, does it really make sense to label them in such negative terms? Can we simply appreciate that only a small percentage of high school players end up playing in college, smaller numbers of collegiate players make the NBA, and very few NBA players EVER win an NBA title.

Instead of looking for scapegoats, let’s appreciate that the best in the world competing with the best in the world is a zero-sum competition and Lebron James, Kevin Durant and dozens of other players ought to be lauded, not critiqued, for taking their team far in the playoffs.