Lebron James – ‘nuff said

Lebron James?? What does HE have to do with the 5 Pillars of Health?!?! Yeah, I asked myself the very same question, and if I may say so myself, I’m pretty impressed with the answer :):)

For those of you who have been living under a rock – in brief – Lebron James is this hot shot basketball player who played his first 7 seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers. When his contract expired, it was time for him to choose to either renew his contract and stay in Cleveland – or pick a new team. Long story short, he chose to “take his talents” to Miami, and the ENTIRE country (and twitter) was outraged!

Now that you know the background….

There is something truly fascinating about this entire story. For starters, WEEKS leading up to his announcement, the entire sports world was on pins and needles. Allow me to quote from ESPN.com: “This was announced with a several day, narcissistic, self-promotional build-up culminating with a national TV special of his ‘decision’ unlike anything ever ‘witnessed’ in the history of sports and probably the history of entertainment.”

I couldn’t have said it better myself! If you looked at the TV guide for Lebron’s big announcement – that hour slot was called “The Decision.” As if the top world leaders and thinkers were gathering together and deciding the fate of the world! My husband was glued to the TV for hours that night. Of course, with any big “decision” in the sports (or political world) there was an entire analytical team dissecting every possible result and outcome. Then, after the big announcement, you have the analysts come back and rehash the entire show, discussing the ins and outs the whole thing. Needless to say, I was in the other room watching So You Think You Can Dance.

It only struck me later that night when my twitter was flooded with the outrage of fans sharing their disappointment in Lebrons’ betrayal. Of course this led to a bunch of one line zingers and snide comments, all at Lebrons expense. Essentially – Lebron was a hated man.

But then it hit me…. Like a basketball right in the head 🙂

Lebron – yes, he’s a hated man – but WHY ? Why does everyone hate his decision? Because he dragged it out and got so much publicity for it? Because he didn’t stay with Cleveland and betrayed his loyal fan base? (Which by the way, was explained to me that a player doesn’t automatically play for their home team – it has to do with a raffle pick of some kind and therefore is up to chance) So what is it exactly that everyone is so ticked off about?

In order to answer this question, we need to ask another question.

Why did he choose Miami over the other teams? What did Miami have that NY Knicks didn’t have? It was NOT the money, because there is a definitive pay scale.

Well, the answer is quite simple.

Lebron chose to leave Cleveland because it was time to move on. Cleveland was the start of his career but it was time for him to move on to bigger and better places, cities and teams and bring his career to greater heights (championships!). Signing with Miami Heat will give him the chance to play with 2 amazing players, which will help boost his chances of winning the title. “….to have all three of us, it was hard to turn down. Those are two great players, two of the greatest players that we have in this game today.” (Lebron James)

It takes great courage and maturity to realize when it’s time to change and move on. Sometimes you need to move out of a city… maybe it’s the time to end a relationship. Simply stated, life happens. We evolve, we grow and we change. Certainly it is not always easy to make these changes but it is imperative for our growth. And usually, our biggest obstacles in our evolution are the people who love us! Our Cleveland fans – they are the ones who don’t want to let us go and move on to the “Miami Heat!” Why would they? If we change – it means we are leaving them behind! But no matter what, no matter the pressure, it’s important to do what’s right for YOU.

So yes, the Clevelanders will have to realize it’s time to let the bird fly out of the nest and make it on its own…. and hopefully Lebron will be able to continue to grow as a player and become better and better….

And In the words of Lebron himself: “You have to move on for the better. And that’s how I feel. It hurts. It definitely hurts. It hurts me to say that I’m moving on. But I have to do what’s best.”

It is a wonderful lesson Lebron has taught us all – about moving on, and realizing when its time to close one chapter and begin another. However, another ‘fun’ little lesson he taught us, was how NOT to go about leaving others behind. While yes, its crucial that we do what is needed for our own growth, we must always remember not to ‘rub it in’ the faces of the people we leave behind. Lebron’s dragging out, and teasing each team with the possibilities – the back and forth – dropping hints – is certainly not the way to go about it.

So when its time to move – go for it! Just try to do it gently, without the unnecessary fanfare :):)

(thank you to ESPN.com for the quotes and thank you to my dear husband for all the sports information in this article. So if anything is factually wrong, take it up with him :):))