When Lebron decides to get up and shoot baseline jump shots for a crowd of kids in London, his demeanor totally changes. You can see it all over his face and up in his shoulders. He’s nervous. He doesn’t want to fail. He doesn’t want any kids (or adults) to think he’s not the greatest player in the world. But somehow it still doesn’t seem like it’s all about him. I mean these are kids, and what kind of adult locks up in front of kids?
This is precisely the type of video that you don’t want to see if you’re a Lebron fan, because it shows vulnerability, even if just a hint.
I spend way too much time thinking about the “Lebron can’t close a game in the fourth quarter” era that we are in right now. I think about what might need to change, who might be to blame, and what might happen if he does show up and close games down one year. More than anything, though, I think about what changed between 2009 and now. I think about that dunk against the Celtics where Lebron James had no regard for human life, the moments when sprinted back to the bench with a look of determination on his face, like nothing could stop him.
That Lebron James wouldn’t be scared to miss a few jumpers in front of some kids in London. He’d have smiled it off, told a joke, and maybe even invited some criticism (at least in jest).
I’m not calling Lebron a villain, because that title doesn’t really add up anymore. I’m not going to call him scared, because I don’t believe anyone in the NBA is scared, even the Luol Dengs, the Steph Currys, and the Jason Richardsons. No such thing as scared in this league.
I’m going to call his condition hyper-self-awareness (HSA), a distinguishing title I won’t let him share with anyone else. He’s sensitive because he hasn’t won a championship yet, defensive because of the body of work he’s put in, a little arrogant because of how phenomenal he is at basketball, and probably confused (literally confused) about how it’s possible he hasn’t won a title yet.
So that’s what I pick up on when I see a video like this. I see his HSA in full bloom, and boy oh boy it gets worse as he asks the crowd if he gets a warmup shot or two. Then you’re sweating bullets watching his HSA get worse! He misses two shots! Personally I thought it was smart of him to dunk the basketball, involve the kid, and make everyone forget that he missed two corner jumpers. Haters will say it’s bad form to dunk on a kid, but Lebron was just saving face. That’s what happens when you’re a brand. You defend the honor of your brand at all costs. It’s harder at times, and more difficult for some, but Lebron has to do it every day. It’s how he developed HSA.
This is from the days before HSA, and a clip I watch about twice a week.
Trap the Corners 