The dude has an entire organization and city on his back.
Illustration by Alexander Wells
Whether you are a Lebron lover or hater, it is hard to ignore what he was able to accomplish at the end of last season. Heading into the NBA finals, James was depleted of a roster that normally featured a rotation of 3 all-stars, missing Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love to injury. 23 still made it interesting, though, winning two games in a row, playing inspiring basketball averaging 35 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 assists all while forcing himself into the Finals MVP conversation despite the losing effort.
Lebron James can do it all and not just on the court. Peel back the curtain and you'll see how many hats King James wore throughout the 2014-2015 season as he returned to Cleveland as a matured, battle-tested ruler of the league. Lebron has been to the NBA Finals five times in a row, but last year wasn't the expected breeze that he had flowing through the South Beach palm trees; the Cavs struggled mightily going 20-20 through their first 40 games. While we saw a team trying to find its identity and chemistry amongst battling personalities, there was Lebron orchestrating virtually every action to ensure his team's success.
Kings travel with an entourage and in Lebron's is Brian Windhorst and Dave McMenamin. The former was a beat writer for the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2003 to 2008 before being scooped up by ESPN to follow Lebron James on his new path to Miami in 2010, while McMenamin covers everything Cavs and everything Lebron, like if Jared Cunningham will don his entire collection of Lebrons. With the help of illustrator Alexander Wells, the two have chronicled how Lebron James has begun to construct his new empire in Cleveland, revealing stories of players-only meetings to James pulling himself from the lineup minutes before tip-off. Read an excerpt from the article below and head over to ESPN for a riveting narrative.
On Dec. 30, suffering through knee and back pain that has hampered him on the court for weeks, James unilaterally makes the call to sit. Says Windhorst on the B.S. Report: "LeBron just decided, 'I'm not gonna play.' Like, at the last minute, he told them, 'I'm not playing.' Didn't even come out to the bench, just sat in the back, didn't come out." The Cavs are stunned, but they acquiesce to the decision and agree to two weeks' rest.