Now, before folks start heating up the tar, breaking out the feathers and finding a sturdy rail on which to run my ample ass out of town on, let me be perfectly clear: LeBron James, due to the amazing physical plant he was blessed with, probably has four or five more years of top-flight, domineering basketball left in him. But that — for me — really isn’t the question. It’s not “if” he can continue to play at top level, but “should” he? After all, he has some other things to do with his life, things that probably transcend basketball. More on that in a minute.
We Cleveland fans are among the most rabid (and therefore neediest) of any in the country. Our decades-long drought only accentuated our longing and pain. The most glorious moment in Cleveland memory was the parade and celebration after our 2016 Championship Season. And who wouldn’t want a repeat of that amazing, fun time?
But alas, it’s probably not to be. Fate has other plans, and absent something catastrophic striking the Golden State Warriors, their dynastic run will continue for at least another half decade. They are that good, and that young, and there’s nothing LeBron or anyone else can do about it.
But LeBron has another career beckoning, one that can be marginalized if he hangs around the hoops game too long and his skills begin to deteriorate. The film and television industry is notoriously fickle, and while we Clevelanders might love him unremittingly come what may, the rest of the country probably won’t stay so smitten. They will look upon his demise with a sense of ridicule, which in turn would affect his ability to be a box-office draw.
Those of us that are old enough can remember the reaction when Jim Brown walked away from football at the top of his game. Fans were outraged. But what Brown knew — that few others did at the time — was that the punishing rigors of the game he loved would take a toll, and he wanted to capitalize on his fame while his popularity was at its peak. He proved to be right.
Certainly basketball is not as punishing as football, but running up and down the court night after night will eventually take its toll on even the sturdiest physique. But the main reason LeBron should pack it in is due to the fact that, unlike Jim Brown, who couldn’t act his way out of a paper bag, he has a ton of talent. Comedic acting is by far the most difficult, and LeBron seemingly was born with the superior sense of humor and timing that defines all naturals; the camera loves him.
God, very few human beings have been blessed with such a variety of outstanding talents.
If LeBron maximizes his Hollywood endeavors he will eclipse any entertainer that has come before him in terms of wealth. And by now we already know that he is a true philanthropist who has surrounded himself with a team that really knows how to help at-risk children — children that would otherwise be left behind by society. Imagine how many more children he will be able to help — on a national level — if he quits basketball and focuses on Hollywood and increasing his wealth?
But of course fans (a term which is short for “fanatics”) are inordinately selfish; we only think of our own entertainment, screw the kids. Which is all the more reason LeBron should quit at the end of the season.
From CoolCleveland correspondent Mansfield B. Frazier mansfieldfATgmail.com. Frazier’s From Behind The Wall: Commentary on Crime, Punishment, Race and the Underclass by a Prison Inmate is available in hardback. Snag your copy and have it signed by the author at http://NeighborhoodSolutionsInc.c