Tag Archives: Lebron James

Should Lebron be who you want him to be?

Watch this commercial (Nike will pay me 10% of profits if you do):

Back story (skip this if you follow basketball): Lebron James grew up in Akron, near Cleveland. Got drafted by Cleveland and played there for 7 seasons. This summer was the end of his contract, he decided to play with two all-stars: Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh instead of staying with Cleveland or going to a team with less skilled players. The media and many people, including Michael Jordan, attacked Lebron’s decision as weak. He shouldn’t need other players to win a championship. He’s ruined his legacy.

The Commercial

This is one of the clearest examples of post-modernism I’ve ever seen. Who is Lebron James? It never answers the question, it shows a bunch of options and leaves you with a sense that you should accept Lebron as a multi-faceted person and player. Lebron simply asks you the question, and never defines himself.

Do you call him the villian? 

Do you call him the comedian?

Lebron never gives you the answer one way or another – this is post-modernism; allowing all thoughts and paths to knowledge to be acceptable. But think about Lebron James, put yourself in his shoes. Care about a celebrity for one second! What do you think he wants to be known as? Do you think he wants to be called a bad role model, traitor, or villian?

Ofacoarse not – the dude wants to be the King. King James.

Like the commercial shows, there are many things you can call Lebron James, but I’m arguing that Lebron only wants to be called one central thing – the King. Everything else is offensive to him. And calling him a traitor or bad model may be okay in your own eyes, but to him that’s going to be ridiculous. At that point you no longer become a fan of Lebron James, but rather someone who is against him!

We Do The Same Thing To God

We call God different things, and we are okay with it. Would you say it’s okay for Muslims and Christians to have completely different views about God? In our post-modern age many think this is okay. Just like Lebron James, it’s like we can give him any identity that we want. Ultimately, it’s subjective. But what does God say about himself? God cannot be okay with so many different identities being said to him. How dare you try to tell God who he is. How dare you try to tell Lebron James who he is. You’re no longer a fan at this point, you reject the King at this point! The question remains, and I’ll ask you:

Should God be who you want him to be???