Lebron James: Decisions and Consequences

CBN.com - Last week, millions of sports fans across the country watched a primetime spectacle of unprecedented proportion. Superstar NBA free agent Lebron James teamed with ESPN to use an hour-long special dubbed “The Decision” to announce to the world what team he would sign with, gracing his highly-touted talent with for the next five years.

In the weeks leading up to “The Decision”, the James marketing team drummed up so much hype and drama, that his big night trumped even World Cup coverage. ("The Decision" got almost 10 million viewers; the average World Cup match got 3.2 for ABC and ESPN.)

But what really contributed to the drama and the made-for-reality-TV moment was the context of his situation. James, an Ohio native who has never lived more than just a few minutes from Cleveland his whole life, would decide whether to stay with his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers—whom he spent the first seven years of his career with—or leave the Mid-West behind for the big lights of a major market team.

Since he graduated high school and was drafted by the Cavs at 18, James has been a hero to the blue-collar town, turning the once lowly Cavs into an Eastern Conference powerhouse, often singlehandedly willing the team to unlikely playoff victories with record-breaking stats. But despite his individual success (NBA scoring titles, international acclaim and celebrity, multi-million dollar sponsorships), one prize eluded him in Cleveland—an NBA championship. Despite having the NBA’s best regular season record for two straight years and even making it to the NBA Finals, James and his Cavs just couldn’t seem to win the big one.

And now, after seven years of winning hearts and games in his hometown, James was a free agent. Any team that cleared enough salary cap space (which seemed like half the league) could sign the mega-star. Miami, New York, L.A., Chicago and New Jersey all made their cases that “King James” should sit on the throne in their city. But back in Ohio, his hometown fans organized rallies, community events and put up posters to try and persuade Lebron to stay home, and finally bring them a title.

But instead of issuing a press release or commissioning his agent to make an announcement and notify teams, Lebron James wanted to make a show of it. Cameras were positioned around the country to watch the reaction of fans in the selected cities. And the crowd that ESPN cut back to most during Lebron’s one hour decision special was a packed-out restaurant in Cleveland where jersey-clad fans waited nervously to see if their hero would come home.

Quietly though, just a few days earlier, and with little fanfare, hundreds of miles away in what is the NBA’s youngest and smallest market town, Oklahoma City, another superstar was making his own decision. The 21-year-old offensive wizard Kevin Durant—currently the NBA's highest scoring player—signed a deal with the OKC Thunder to remain with the franchise he helped to turn into one of the most dangerous teams in the league. Instead to calling a TV summit, holding his fans in limbo or working the media hype machine, Durant posted a Tweet: “Exstension for 5 more years wit the #thunder … God is Great, me and my family came a long way … I love yall man forreal, this is a blessing!" (sic) Not even his spelling was glamorous.

Lebron on the other hand, was just getting started. While millions watch, James announced that he would be leaving Cleveland: “This fall, I am going to take my talents to South Beach.” While parties instantly kicked off in Miami (the home of The Heat), the cameras in Cleveland zoomed in on crushed fans. Almost immediately, people were burning their Lebron James jerseys—once a symbol of hometown pride.

In the end, James got what he wanted. Not just the drama. Not just the hype. But the attention. "The Decision" wasn’t about Cleveland or Miami, or the NBA. It was about Lebron James. In Oklahoma City, Kevin Durant also got what he wanted. He didn’t want attention or drama. He wanted to play basketball with the players he was loyal to.

There’s something to be said for unintended consequences. Lebron James wanted attention, hype and admiration in announcing his decision in primetime. He wanted his “brand” to grow, and to gain even more fans in a new city. Instead, he went from hero to villain almost overnight. Instead of being the darling of the sports world, he became the symbol of what’s wrong with it. Durant on the other hand, didn’t want attention. But, that’s exactly what he got. Though he used to the platform to thank God and his family, he’s the one who fans thanked.

By exercising humility, Durant endeared himself to fans. By exercising self-promotion, Lebron isolated himself from them. And that’s the lesson the average person—the non-superstar—can take away. “In a way, this is how the Kingdom of God is supposed to work. So the last will be first, and the first will be last" (

At the end of the day, Lebron James is a basketball player who plays a game for a living—I’m not trying to say anything about his character. In the big picture, basketball—even at the NBA level—is relatively inconsequential. But as Christians, if we can take away a lesson from this whole episode—one with eternal consequence—it's this: "Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven … Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (

UPDATED Editor's Note: It is notable that a portion of the ad revenue raised during "The Decision" was given to the Boys & Girls Club. According to some reports, about $2.5 million of the $6 million in ad sales grossed would be donated to the organization by the show’s sponsors.

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