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September 30th 2010, Miami Heat’s media day. Almost exactly three years ago.
On that afternoon in a cramped gym at the University of Miami, Heat unveiled their “big 3″. Dwyane Wade mostly held the microphone, for he was the leader, the one most comfortable with his surroundings and was the one who was trying to ease the transition for his new teammates: LeBron James and Chris Bosh.
Wade fielded most of the questions, while LeBron sat on his left and squirmed, avoided eye contact and occasionally gave curt replies. Under unprecedented scrutiny, there seemed to be only one thing which James seemed capable of doing: Tap the table.
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Tap. Tap. Tap.
On Monday, September 30th, three years to the day since the Heat unveiled James to the world, it appeared as if he would rather be nowhere else.
No hurry, no nervousness, no incessant tapping.
This year’s media day was markedly different from the one 3 years ago. Back then, the future of Heat was exciting but uncertain. They were trying to put together a championship team and through the entire shindig, James was nervous.
On Monday, however, James’ 20 minute press availability was casual, conversational, and almost like stand-up comedy. He sure has come a long way these 3 years.
He began by getting the usual questions out of the way.
When asked how he planned to handle his 2014 player option, James responded with:
For me, being a leader of this team, I owe it to this organization, I owe to my teammates to really not get involved in it, to not talk about it.
His humorous act set in after he was asked whether he managed to squeeze in both the summer rest and work that he sought after last season.
I did get some rest. I will not reveal what I worked on in my game. I know you guys are tired of hearing me say this, but I got better. I’m a better basketball player than I was last year, in every aspect. I feel very confident and comfortable in my game right now.
That answer, right there, shows his confidence and comfort, not only with himself or the Heat organisation, but with his fans, his critics and with the game of basketball itself.
The question: Has he achieved everything he hoped he would when he came to Miami?
No, I haven’t accomplished it, not yet. Not till I win, not 11, not 12, not 13, not 14. Not until I win that will I have accomplished my feat. No, just messing around, but…that will be the front of the damn page right there.
Laughter erupts from everywhere. From him and his audience.
“Yeah, LeBron at 50 guarantees championship,” James said.
That quote right there, shows LeBron at his best. He’s managed to turn one of the critics’ oft repeated mockery into a joke. In 2010, James promised that the Heat would win “Not one, Not two, Not three, Not four” Championships after he and Bosh joined Miami. The critics thought that it was plain arrogance and just a smoke-screen.
The smoke seems much more denser now, doesn’t it?
From the nervous star who hardly seemed to know what he was doing there, James has now evolved in to a mature super star who can joke about whatever the press throws at him.
He joked about the psychological issues regarding his free-throw shooting (“90 percent is not the goal; that’s out of control. Let’s get to 80 first”). He joked about the nickname he’d wear on the back of his jersey if given a chance (King, obviously). He made fun of Game 6 of the Finals against Spurs, recalling the “awesome way” Ray Allen told the arena staff to get rid of the Spurs’ championship ropes. The “awesome way” included an expletive which he didn’t want to mention, in case his kids caught the press conference.
He even joked about the jewelry on his fingers. Two rings is quite an achievement, isn’t it?
“I’ve got three rings,” he corrected, pointing out the fact that he earned one recently as a husband.
James is probably the only player in the world, who can do anything he wants, say anything he wants, and not care about the critics.
I want to be the greatest of all time. That’s my motivation…It’s not to be the greatest of all time in anybody else’s book, or how they judge. It’s for me.
He’s won 4 MVP awards in the past 5 years and has been crowned an NBA Champion twice. He’s currently the best player on earth, and some are even predicting that he’ll be the greatest forward to ever play this game. Taking into account all these statistics, this was James’ reply when asked how close he was to being called the Greatest Of All Time.
“I’m far. I’m far away from it. But I see the light.”
If he considers this “far from his peak”, I can’t wait to see the end of the tunnel.
LeBron, as a man, has matured. The way he walks, The way he talks all showcase a level of maturity which was missing 3 years ago. He feels good about being a guy in his late 20s. Obviously he’s on top of the world. There’s no one better than him in the entire world. And instead of that being a burden, I think he’s learned to enjoy it. His kids are getting older, he’s married now, he’s more settled as a person. As he grows, he’s still going to improve.
