LEBRON INC.

LeBron Inc.

Why the King Should Keep His Court in Cleveland

Act I “There’s only one place they call me one of their own… These are my streets, the only life I’ve ever known. Who says you can’t go home”- Bon Jovi

The King was born on December 30, 1984, in Akron, Ohio. Ask any lifelong resident of Cleveland, and they’ll tell you it makes perfect sense that LeBron James was born during the apex of the holiday season; he’s been one of the biggest gifts the city has ever received.

It was apparent from an early age that LeBron was different from the others, and his talents on the basketball court were nothing short of astounding. He was a virtuoso, Michelangelo operating with a Spalding instead of a paintbrush, conducting fast-breaks like Mozart did his symphonies. While his peers were spending their high school years dealing with normal adolescent issues, James was achieving goals never before accomplished. He was named to USA Today’s All-USA First Team an unprecedented three times, and won the title of “Mr. Basketball” of Ohio three times as well. By his 16th birthday, his trademark moniker – “King James” – was becoming a household name. He appeared on the covers of Sports Illustrated, SLAM and ESPN The Magazine all before his high school graduation. LeBron Raymone James, before his 18th birthday, was the most talked about and sought after athlete in the country.

“There are only four or five NBA players that I wouldn’t trade to get him right now”, said Celtics GM Danny Ainge back in 2003, before James was even drafted; a quote which speaks volumes to the once-in-a-lifetime prospect that LeBron was.

And he belonged to Ohio. He belonged to Akron, and to Canton, to Youngstown and Warren – and all the way up to Lake Erie. And for a state that, outside of some Buckeye football, has been largely devoid of sporting success, LeBron became the glimmer of hope for what Ohio sports could be. But natives knew that one day James would graduate high school, enter the NBA Draft, and in all likelihood be stolen away by another city who would then claim LeBron as their own. Ohio would be without its King.

Think back over the last quarter century to Cleveland’s sporting futility. Jordan over Ehlo… Elway’s “Drive”… Renteria’s series-winner off Nagy’s glove… Byner fumbling on the goalline… Art Modell packing up and moving the beloved Browns to Baltimore… and the list goes on. Ask any Clevelander about these events, and you’re likely to see more than a devastated face. It’s no wonder ESPN named Cleveland the “most tortured sports city in America” in 2004.

But with LeBron James came hope, and hope would turn into reality as fate played its hand. As LeBron was leading his St. Vincent-St. Mary high school team to another state title his senior year, the Cavaliers were bottoming out, finishing tied for the worst record in the NBA. That meant that the Cavs would have nearly a 1 in 4 chance of winning the draft lottery and thus, the right to have the hometown King ascend to his throne. And finally, on May 22, 2003, when the ping pong balls turned out in the favor of the Cavs, it was Cleveland – not New York, not Los Angeles, not Boston nor Chicago, but Cleveland, Ohio – who won the right to select the greatest prospect in basketball history.

At that very moment, before ever playing a game in a Cavs uniform, LeBron James, the local hero, the Akron native, became the unquestioned King of Cleveland. And this summer, the King can choose to abdicate his throne and take his all-world talent to another city. But even with the infinite admiration and adulation, could it be that LeBron James needs Cleveland as badly as Cleveland needs LeBron James? What are some of the reasons why the King should extend his reign in the Rock ‘N Roll Capital for the balance of his career?

Act II “Ever notice that the whisper of temptation can be heard farther than the loudest call to duty?” – Earl Wilson

Fast forward to 2010, and LeBron James is most pundits’ choice for best basketball player in the world. He’s led the Cavaliers, a previously moribund franchise, to the playoffs the past four seasons, with a fifth seemingly on the way as of press time. During the 2007 playoffs, LeBron, not yet 23 years old, led the Cavaliers all the way to the NBA Finals before bowing out to Tim Duncan and the Spurs. He’s only showing signs of getting better at all facets of his game, and he’s the most popular player in the sport. His national advertising portfolio is very strong (consider deals with Nike, Sprite, and State Farm among others) and his multi-story billboards only blocks from Madison Square Garden proves also a precious irony in addition to his Broadway appeal.

But LeBron’s quest to transcend American sports and become a global icon can greatly influence his future decisions. James has parlayed his basketball ability with savvy business acumen, and has been unabashed about his desire to be a world-wide superstar. Now, take into account that, at the conclusion of this season, LeBron James becomes a free agent, meaning he’ll be able to leave Cleveland and sign elsewhere, and by elsewhere, we mean a larger market.

The glitz of New York City. The glamour of Los Angeles. The weather in Miami. The promise of potentially playing in Brooklyn for pal Jay-Z. All of these factors, coupled with the simple fact that all of the aforementioned locations are substantially bigger markets than Cleveland, point towards a change of scenery for LeBron. But does the earning potential of the big city provide the only chance for a Jordan-esque rise to global stardom? Not necessarily, the Cavaliers would contend, as they aim to reach one of the biggest markets abroad.

Albert Hung, one of the wealthiest men in Hong Kong, is poised to complete a deal with the Cavaliers to purchase 15 percent of the franchise. Hung fits the bill of an ideal partner, having valuable influence in Asian business circles, and his reported $50-70 million in cash will provide a fine boost to the franchise’s coffers. The Cavs continued to make strides in China, landing a major sponsorship deal with the country’s most popular beer maker, Tsingtao. What other possibilities could the future hold? A future with the Cleveland Cavaliers on TV sets across China could be an enticing option for a budding international star. All of a sudden, needing the leverage of playing in a larger market doesn’t seem as necessary – especially considering the market of over 1 billion people that awaits in China.

Now, take into account the legions of young LeBron James fans all throughout the country. Is it not feasible to think that should LeBron spend his entire career in Cleveland, that the next generation of NBA fans will be predisposed to root for the Cavs, no matter where they’re from? There are Bulls fans throughout the country who have never set foot in Chicago, thanks to Jordan’s brilliant career. If LeBron stays in Cleveland – and wins a championship there – he will elevate Cleveland to new heights, creating the perception that Cleveland is on the same level as New York or LA; and, as the saying goes, perception is reality. By staying in Cleveland, LeBron can put the city on his broad shoulders and carry it to heights never thought possible by another athlete.

Act III “I found Rome brick, I left it marble” -Caesar Augustus

When you think of the number of star athletes who played their entire careers with one team, it gets fewer and fewer the closer you get to present-day. Factor in stars who have played their entire careers with a small market team, and it gets considerably tougher. Quite simply, in modern day sports, it’s a rarity. In the NBA, Utah Jazz Hall of Famer John Stockton comes to mind as a superstar that did it. Mario Lemieux never played an NH L game in any other uniform than the Pittsburgh Penguins – and then eventually bought the team. Cal Ripken Jr. set the alltime record for consecutive games played, and would only play professionally as a member of the Baltimore Orioles. But as rare as pulling off this double dose of excellence and loyalty is, some of the rewards for doing so can far supersede money and fame.

When Ray Lewis was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in 1996, he was determined to make his mark on the field, and in the process made as significant an impact off of it. For the past 14 years, Lewis has authored a Hall of Fame career with 11 Pro Bowl selections, 2 NFL Defensive MVP’s, and most notably MVP of the Ravens Super Bowl XXXV victory over the Giants. And there were times when Lewis could have left Baltimore for more money and more ink in the papers, including this past offseason. But as Lewis shared with us, he would be losing more than he’d be gaining by leaving.

“I was never a threat to ever leave. You appreciate the bigger cities and bigger markets, but when I was weighing out that issue, if I leave, I go through all this just to change. So that decision for me, I prayed on it a million times. And I let it go. And the bottom line was, I would have been leaving a lot.

“If you’re good, you’re good. And I knew no matter what, even earlier in my career when we didn’t have the national recognition – you’re gonna know me. I think the same thing with LeBron. LeBron is a universal name. Who you are is who you are, no matter where you go play. He just needs to evaluate everything, just like I did, and say again ‘what are you really chasing’? And for me, I was chasing a legacy; that when I’m dead and gone, people will be saying ‘he came through here for 14, 16, however many years and never left, and gave us hope’”.

If LeBron spurns other offers and returns to the Cavs, he will always be loved in Ohio. Leave, and he becomes just another guy. James didn’t opt to be born in Akron, or be drafted by the Cavs, but he can hand-pick Ohio by re-signing on his own free will. If LeBron were to leave, he’d leave behind an already rich legacy and would have to begin another.

“For me, staying in Baltimore meant leaving one legacy, with one team, one city,” Lewis told us. “And no matter what I would have done, if I would have went somewhere else – whether you think it’s not – it’s starting over.

“I think I would have destroyed my legacy if I went somewhere else. For the foundation of who you are in that community, when they call the franchise name and they think about you first, that’s an honor. And it’s more of an honor to stay in one place and say I road it out no matter what.”

If LeBron James stays, it elevates Cleveland above the other suitors pursuing him. It means that, in a very rare occasion, a star athlete will have chosen the small market over the bright lights when all things are equal. A decision such as that cannot be understated as it concerns the morale of the people. It can lift the spirits of Clevelanders alike, to know that the greatest basketball player in the world chose them. He will have picked Cleveland, just as Cleveland picked him in 2003.

Said Lewis about LeBron: “You’re king. Going somewhere else doesn’t make you king two or three, you’re king. Understand why you’re king. In the streets of Cleveland, people praise LeBron James. You know why? Because he was granted to them. Here is somebody, that whatever you are going through in life, that can bless your spirits and uplift you. Because he has done something that people don’t do. So sometimes we have to pull away from what the world wants so much, and find out what’s best for King James, and find out what’s best for a legacy, and leaving something that can never be rewrote.”

While other athletes have meant the world to their clubs and then left – Brett Favre comes to mind – none have the personal connection that LeBron has with Ohio. None of the others grew up in the same state that they play in, and thus, none can truly possess that unique ability to uplift a community that Lewis mentioned. If LeBron goes to New York, he’ll be “a” King, but not “the” King; there’s a huge difference. If he goes to the Clippers, there’s still Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson to content with. But, in Cleveland, LeBron is the first and only King, and that is why he must stay.

And, if he does, he will, in essence, mean more to his city than any other athlete could possibly mean to theirs. He’ll mean more to Cleveland than Kobe does to Los Angeles, or Dwayne Wade to Miami. He’ll mean more to Cleveland than Derek Jeter means in New York, as Cleveland is a smaller market with substantially fewer heroes. He’ll even mean more in Cleveland than Michael Jordan did in Chicago, despite MJ’s six championships for the Windy City. He will have forged a bond with his city that can never be broken. He will become forever engrained in the very soul of Cleveland, and of Ohio.

The city of Cleveland wants – no, needs – to stand up this summer and hail their once and future King. The proverbial ball is in LeBron’s court. Who says you can’t go home?