LeBron James was a junior in high school when Sports Illustrated declared him “The Chosen One” on its cover. James audaciously had the phrase tattooed on his back before becoming the NBA’s No. 1 draft pick in 2003. He was going to be a bust even if he became one of the 50 or so best players in the world. The bar was much higher than that.
The basketball world waited for James to be humbled in the grown man’s league. I was among the skeptics. We critics never got our wish, not even for a moment.
James was very good from the start. He was great by his second season, when he carried a Cavaliers team with no other All-Star players to the NBA Finals. James somehow lived up to the hype. Now he’s the only player who belongs with Michael Jordan in the Greatest of All Time debate.
