The Heat Is On

Guess what. I have something in common with LeBron James. Besides having common denominators like shear athletic dominance on the basketball court and the ability to tomahawk jam on a 10-foot net, we hold another similar characteristic. Sure, he's 6'8'', black and possesses a body only Michelangelo could sculpt. Me, I'm 5'2.5'' (yes, that 0.5 inches makes all the difference!), Asian-American and just gained a hefty five pounds from my recent vacation. But if you get pass those minor physical traits, LeBreezy and I do share something -- a love of wanting to bring our best efforts to South Florida. We both moved from afar to try to revolutionize our respective industries here in South Florida. We took a chance, and I can respect LeBron for taking his.

Other than that, I'm a little indifferent about LeBron James these days. It could stem from my absolute jealousy of him being one year younger than me, devoid of a college degree, and still making tens of millions of dollars more than me over a span of six years. 

But in truth, I think it's more of my disappointment with his behavior over the past few weeks, over the circus that has become the NBA.

I don't hate that he's one of the best athletes to lace up Nike gear. I don't hate him for tagging along ESPN's Thursday night one-hour glass menagerie train that intro'ed the star's decision to play for the Heat. I don't even hate that his Twitter name is "KingJames" and at times he's been known to refer to himself in the third person as the "King." I don't hate him for leaving his former team to try out seemingly greener pastures.

I've always like LeBron. From witnessing his unselfish play on the courts, to viewing "More Than a Game" (the engaging documentary about his high school team), to celebrating that brilliant three-point shot against the Magic in the playoffs two years ago, I've always admired the guy. In the twilight of his high-profile career, LeBron seemingly stayed out of the media spotlight, something I imagine must be difficult.

But Friday night's public opening of the three Heat headliners was a bit much for me. From the head bobbing to the smug look, I felt all this was a little out of character for someone who has set such a high level for himself. Yeah, I get that's he's 25 years old and he's allowed to act 25. But for someone who has such a strong past of class and character, I was disappointed to see LeBron act, well, like a 25-year-old.

But back to the point of commonality between LeBron and me. I'm still working hard to make a dent in this media world, and I think I'm far from my goal. However, let's hope for all of South Florida -- and LeBron himself -- that he achieves his goal at a faster pace than my own. After all, he is the King.