Growing Up In The Shadow of LeBron James

Lebron James was born on a cold December day back in 1984 in the small city of Akron, Ohio to his 16 year old mother Gloria James. Lebron was raised in a small section eight apartment on the west side of Akron with only him and his mother. James life was a struggle growing up poor in the ghetto of Akron, basketball was about the only thing that came easy to him at a young age. To Lebron the basketball court was an escape, a place for him to make friends, to prove something, to get his mind off of everyday hardships. Basketball was everything, and we see this still to this day in the way he dominates the game as if he invented it himself!

I also grew up right off Copley road on the west side of Akron just a minute down the street from Buchtel High school, once his original choice in schooling. Growing up only seven years behind James I can recall most of the pandemonium that erupted when the media took notice of James un-ordinary athletic skill! During that time Akron was on the map, ESPN trucks where parked in the streets, something we hadn’t seen since tiger woods was last in town at the Bridgestone invitational. The city was buzzing, people took notice, everyone knew this was something that only happens once in a lifetime!

In high school Lebron became known as The Chosen One, in 18 years time he evolved from a kid down the street from me into an idol! From my perspective alone this was amazing, even at a young age I began to feel proud of being from Akron! Paying to watch a high school basketball game on pay per view became a normal thing to do! St. Vincent St. Mary’s became a household name for all basketball fans, a school that before then only owned one basketball state championship. Things began to change, people began to change, he made you feel like you were important just by witnessing him play!

In 2003 The Cleveland Cavaliers claimed the number one pick in the NBA draft, crowds of people from all around northeastern Ohio celebrated as if it were their own son being drafted into the NBA! People all knew what this meant, Lebron would not only be the first Akronite drafted into the NBA but he would also have the opportunity to once again wear us on his jersey. To us Lebron’s biggest gift was the pride he instilled back into Cleveland and Akron. During that time no one cared if an NBA championship was in our future, people were just ecstatic about one of our own showcasing his talents on the big stage!

In 2006 I was accepted into St. Vincent St. Mary’s high school, Lebron’s alma mater, even when I arrived the school was still buzzing about Lbj! Throughout my time there every morning conversation was about what Lebron did the previous night! We were obsessed, half of the school owned his gear, wore his shoes, heck we even had a day dedicated to him! He made high school fun, plus it was always nice telling people what high school you went to!

More from Cleveland Cavaliers

Looking back, there were so many great memories because of Lebron, everything from a surprise MVP presentation in our gymnasium to carrying Cleveland to their first NBA finals appearance! Without Lebron here anymore, what does this all mean? Ever since “The Decision” in 2010 all we were left with were diminished memories of once was and a gang of angry fans up in Cleveland.

Since that departure it seems as if the majority of NBA fans now love to see him lose. We can only imagine what could have been, should he have stayed and continued his pursuit of an NBA championship in Cleveland!

As we wait for an announcement, we need to remember this may be his last chance to redeem that role.

Lets say he never comes back, will he go down in history as anything more then the curse of Cleveland? Its just to big of a problem to ignore! Lebron’s, the” Chosen One”, “the King”, the “hometown hero”! Whats a king without a kingdom? Whats a chosen one if they were never chosen to do anything significant? Whats a hero if they don’t have anything to save or protect? Plus whats to “WITNESS “when all he will be remembered for is leaving our team! Cavs fans or not, you have to wonder if his true legacy depends on the amount of rings he finishes his career with.

His legacy is now in question because he once weighed winning rings for himself over pleasing his real fans, not the bandwagon ones from Miami who used to root against him! But just like Heat fans are to blind to recognize that you dont leave NBA finals games with 30 secs left, Lebron means more to his hometown fans the anyone!

Mar 18, 2013; Cleveland, OH, USA; A Cleveland Cavaliers fan holds a sign referring to

LeBron James

(not pictured) in the fourth quarter against the Indiana Pacers at Quicken Loans Arena. The Cavaliers lost 111-90. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Maybe its just me but its hard to understand how having multiple rings somehow makes your legacy even more important, is that how it should work? Maybe its our generation, but honestly are rings really that important? Is it that significant that the Spurs and Tim Duncan won another ring? A ring for his hometown team would be huge!

It would make it Cleveland’s first championship! The First! If he really pulled it off, admit it, that story would trump anything Lebron does in Miami for the entirety of his career! It would raise hope for a lot of people who truly deserve it! It would be a point proven towards people who believe that teams like Cleveland aren’t first class, don’t attract big players, and therefore will never be a championship organization! Seriously, Lebron Is the answer to all of that! Cleveland can attract big players, but one was born here and can change things! Lebron in a way was meant to do this, he would be a living hero, comic book characters are fake, but this is real people!

As good as all that sounds the reality of this all is that Lebron can choose wherever he wants. Whatever he decides to do, I don’t believe he has lost his legacy! You see, North Eastern Ohio no longer depends on Lebron as a basketball player, his legacy lies in the support he contribute’s to the community through his “I Promise” foundation. No matter what he chooses to do, people here should continue to cheer for him, we should be proud of what he has done for us and continues to do for Akron! As far as the Cavaliers go, with/without Lebron I believe Cleveland is building something that can be great, something that can be more unstoppable down the road then “The Miami Project” Directed by Pat Riley!

Editor’s Note: Please welcome our newest writer here with his inaugural post. We hope you enjoy.

Home/Cleveland Cavaliers