LeBron James IS History

There is a line in the movie “Raiders of the Lost Ark” where the French archaeologist Rene Belloq is trying to talk Indiana Jones out of doing harm to him and the stolen ARK. (parentheses are mine) “Indiana, we (you and I) are just passing through history. This… (gestures to The Ark of the Covenant), This IS history.” I think of how that line applies to something different… how it applies to some of the greatest of the athletes of ours and earlier generations. Which players are literally out there right now, not just playing in the games, but creating history, BEING history, a history that will be remembered long after all of us are gone?

You knew Wilt Chamberlain was becoming part of historic lore when he scored 100 points in ONE game and averaged a mind boggling 50+ points per game for an entire season. He was literally a giant of a figure that helped a public audience focus on one major star they could latch onto as one of the first true “superstars” of his sport. The same with Boston Celtic Bill Russell, as he led Boston to an amazing 11 NBA titles in his 13 season career, much of the time in legendary duels against Wilt Chamberlain. As their careers were unfolding, people had to be watching, knowing in their minds that they were witnessing something very special. Something that would likely be remembered “throughout the ages.”

Magic Johnson and Larry Bird were cut from the same legendary cloth. Everyone knew that when they were watching L.A. Laker Magic Johnson play basketball, they were watching a one-of-a-kind basketball player, with dazzling, breathtaking passes while running the fast break that really hadn’t been seen before his arrival or since. Five NBA championships and nine finals appearances during his career, with a lot of amazing, memorable shots, stamped his name, not to mention his image and his face, in the history books for all time. Larry Bird had an equally memorable career. His nickname said it all — Larry Legend. He resurrected the sleeping Boston Celtic franchise, helping them win three championships in the same era as Magic, with just as many amazing and big time shots and plays in the playoffs as his rival. Bird’s iconic status amongst Boston Celtic and NBA fans is as indelibly etched in their minds as anyone who ever played.

Michael Jordan started out as a pro with the legends of Wilt, Russell, Magic and Bird either already in front of him or in the very process of being formed, and all he did was put together a career that may have topped them all. It took a few years for him to get going, and for the careers of Bird and Magic to die down, but when Michael Jordan got rolling, his Chicago Bulls won six championships out of the next eight years. And, the two years the Bulls didn’t win, Michael took off to play baseball. That is epic. His MVP trophies, his memorable dunk shots, spin moves, tongue hanging out clutch shots and, most of all, his 6 and 0 record in the finals likely made him the most famous, iconic player of them all.

Which brings us to LeBron James. LeBron James came into the league directly out of high school with more “can’t miss” publicity than any player since Wilt Chamberlain. He was anointed as The Chosen One of basketball well before he ever played pro ball, and an immediate Rookie of the Year award, the catchy nickname of King James and a lot of subsequent success has helped make him the household name of all of basketball. He’s already captured four MVP awards and five trips to the NBA finals and he is still only 29 years old. His team has been in the finals for each of the last four years, mainly because of him. He started as an amazing physical specimen of a man inside the body of a child, and now he is entering manhood, and has proven to be the most dominant player of his era. More than the success, he has captured the public imagination in this Internet Age in ways that transcend everything else that is going on right now.

The question is, will he go down as the truly historic figure that compares with, if not exceeds that which was done by Wilt, Russell, Magic, Bird and Michael? Or, will he just turn out to be a really good player that will be remembered as being really good, but will fall short of being legendary? There is still time for him to fulfill his destiny. The previously mentioned legends all had some serious successes after they hit their 30’s. The trend arrow is pointing upward.

One thing is for sure. The “people,” who don’t give away this legendary stuff that often, will know it when they see it. And the process of this is occurring right now, before our eyes. Next time you get a chance to see him in a game, watch closely, just before the game starts, when he grabs that handful of chalk in his hands and splashes it into the air. It may become one of those legendary images you end up telling people about many years from now. LeBron James might not just be passing through this historical era. He might BE history.