Five lessons I learned from LeBron James

MANILA, Philippines - When one is a fan, there is not much anyone can do or say to convince him or her otherwise.

I have been a Le-Bron James fan for many years, having followed him from Cleveland, where he was criticized because he would choke at the end of close games. They said he wasn’t “clutch.” I saw him “take his talents” to South Beach, a move that earned him his “traitor” moniker. And then, of course, the heralded return to Cleveland.

In a Sports Illustrated article, LeBron described his Cleveland homecoming. “My relationship with Northeast Ohio is bigger than basketball,” he shares with SI.com in a first-person essay. “I didn’t realize that four years ago. I do now.”

For James, it marked a complete turnaround from his original free-agent decision in 2010, when he bolted Cleveland for the Miami Heat, creating a Big Three with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh that went on to win two NBA titles in their four years together.

But giving back to basketball and to the place where he grew up was and is bigger than anything LeBron has and can accomplish.

“Before anyone ever cared where I would play basketball, I was a kid from Northeast Ohio. It’s where I walked,” he said. “It’s where I ran. It’s where I cried. It’s where I bled. It holds a special place in my heart. People there have seen me grow up. I sometimes feel like I’m their son. Their passion can be overwhelming. But it drives me. I want to give them hope when I can. I want to inspire them when I can.”

MY INSPIRATION

LeBron is the greatest basketball player on the planet — at least for me.

Whenever I hear him speak or read articles about him, he has never bragged about what he has achieved — and he’s achieved a lot.

He is a two-time NBA champion, a four-time MVP, was in 11 all-NBA first and second teams, was a Rookie of the Year, a No. 1 pick in the NBA draft (he was fresh out of high school then), and a two-time Olympic gold medalist, to boot.

Instead, he likes to talk about his being in fourth grade and how his mother Gloria raised him.

In an ESPN.com article published Oct. 19, 2013, LeBron says that he moved perhaps half a dozen times and missed nearly 100 days of school. The identity of his father was a mystery to him. The man he called his dad was in jail. He had never played organized sports, and he had no clue as to who he was or what he wanted to become.

He added that when he was in fourth grade, he’d find himself sleeping on a couch in a one-bedroom apartment that belonged to another of his mother’s friends, where loud parties continued late into the night and where police were sometimes called to investigate. His mom, 25-year-old Gloria, was living on welfare. She liked to go out, friends said, and sometimes left LeBron to take care of himself. Often, he chose not to go to school, spending his days immersed in video games, shuttling between the apartment and a corner store where his mother’s food stamps paid for his snacks.

By then, James had already spent two-thirds of his life essentially without a home, moving every few months with Gloria from one apartment to the next. Gloria went back to school, with her grandma and her mother, Freda, taking care of LeBron. His grandmother died a few months later. Then, on Christmas Day in 1987, Freda died suddenly of a heart attack and all family stability disintegrated.

Then Bruce Kelker, the man LeBron calls his godfather, pulled him from the streets and got him into sports, which began with playing American Football. LeBron has said that Kelker became the most reliable adult in his life.  Early on, LeBron showed he was different. “You ain’t ever going to blend in,” Kelker told him. “And that can be a good thing.”

After football, Kelker suggested that a friend, Frankie Walker, take a look at James as a basketball player. LeBron’s development as a basketball player was phenomenal — and today he is the best player in my book.

A REAL KING

“Do you want to interview LeBron?” asked STAR columnist Quinito Henson.

I almost fainted before I replied, “Of course!”

Well, the interview never happened but I did get a chance to see LeBron up close at the Nike Rise press-con last Thursday.

I waited with bated breath on that rainy Thursday afternoon, to get a glimpse of the King and to listen to him. I walked away knowing that I would never forget this day — and that even in my middle age, the learning never stops.

Never forget how you started: It feels great to be someone who people look to — to be able to rise to every occasion. To be in this position, I have to thank the people who put me through life. I have to thank my mom, who raised me to be the way I am. 

Work hard, sacrifice: I know that it takes a lot of hard work, a lot of sacrifice and motivation for the game to be able to accomplish something great.

Be a team player, a leader:  It is in my upbringing and my need to fight in the tough streets that has made me what I am. It is learning how to lead the guys and knowing that I can’t lead all the guys in the same way. I don’t think you can teach leadership. You either want it or have it, or it’s not there. It is a trait that I have always had.

Let your life do the talking:  I think more than teaching skills it is about the inspiration of my life story that I’ll leave behind. It is up to you to use that to better yourselves.

Dreams come true: I was a kid; I believed I could make a dream a reality. It took a lot of hard work, a lot of sacrifice, a lot of hope. I loved the game so much that I wasn’t going to let anybody tell me that I couldn’t make it. 

Thanks, LeBron.