Being a fan of the NBA was much easier as a kid.
I remember sprawling out in front of the television and getting goosebumps listening to the Bulls’ starting lineup get announced. Like every other kid on the planet, I was a diehard Michael Jordan fan. I would head out to the hoop in front of my driveway and practice my hanging right-to-left hand layups and my turnaround baseline jumpers until I couldn’t see my own hand in front of my face. When I was lucky my dad and I would take turns “being Jordan”, firing up jumper after jumper while the rebounder was relegated to Scottie Pippen status. All I wanted to do, all I ever wanted to do, was be like Mike.
Jordan was more of a superhero than anything else, conquering villains like the aptly named “Bad Boys” of Detroit and the unbearable New York Knicks. He was the good guy, and it didn’t seem coincidental that he was almost always victorious. Life as a fan back then was easy, simple.
Just as my own life started to get confusing, with the whole growing up and the loss of innocence and whatnot, the NBA mirrored that for me. When Jordan retired there were multiple guys vying for hero status, some of them the same players I had just painted as villains. The NBA was all of the sudden very grey — gone were the days of black and white, of good and bad. When Jordan retired he left millions of fans disenfranchised in a way, all of us searching for a replacement for the man who simply could never be replaced.
While everyone looked for the next Jordan, a villain emerged in Kobe Bryant.
Suddenly I no longer needed a hero because I had found a villain. The fog had cleared — my heroes were anyone who could take out Kobe Bryant. Iverson stepping over Lue was one of the happiest moments of my life. Horry at the top of the key, one of the worst. All of that emotion, including the newly discovered love for the Clippers, came from rooting against one man. Without him, it wouldn’t have meant much of anything at all.
We demand loyalty out of our basketball heroes, however unreasonable that may be to ask in today’s game. So when LeBron James ripped out the hearts of an entire city on national television, he did more than just lose hundreds of thousands of supporters — he changed the entire landscape of the NBA. In a time where players give canned responses and rarely step out of their carefully crafted media personas, LeBron James willingly villified himself, and let everyone bare ”witness” to it. We now know this: The NBA will never be grey as long as LeBron James is around.
Regardless of who ends up challenging LeBron, the league is in better shape for what happened this summer. Fans need to identify first and foremost, and the easier it is to differentiate who is on what side of the battle between good and evil, the better.
While LeBron sits on his self-appointed throne and holds court, egging the world on in the process, there’s a guy in Orlando who meets the nickname requirement waiting on the other side of the line for him. And another one in Oklahoma City. And you never know… that kid killing himself on the sand dunes, time and time again until he can’t feel his legs anymore? He may get his chance one day to be the hero too.
Only one thing is for certain – we’ll be watching.
29 Responses
D J, Nice post, especially the Kobe as a villain part. I’m trying to be optimistic about the season so it would be nice if Blake got his chance! You’re right we’ll be watching, I have been for 25 years.
Posted on August 16th, 2010 at 6:35 am
What’s this have to do with the Clippers?
Posted on August 16th, 2010 at 7:17 am
^lol you need to read a little closer and know what blake griffin did all summer last year
NRM Reply:
August 16th, 2010 at 9:30 am
LOL. but who could remember shit from last year?
Posted on August 16th, 2010 at 8:38 am
Apparently Javale McGee and Jeff Green got cut from the US Wolds team … does that mean Eric Gordon has secured a spot?
Posted on August 16th, 2010 at 10:45 am
I love/hated Jordan. I rooted for the Bad Boys. I rooted for the Jazz. I rooted for Barkley’s Suns. I wanted Jordan to lose just as badly as I want Kobe to lose. But I still respected their game because it was hard not to appreciate seeing that killer instinct in full bloom. 12 years or 12 weeks ago, seeing that will to win on display is awe inspiring.
I like LeBron. For once a major FA didnt stay at home to make the big fat paycheck but decided winning in the end was the most important thing of all. We cant blame LeBron for not choosing LAC or NYK or even staying home in Cleveland. He wants to win. He doesnt want to be great like Karl Malone or Charles Barkley or Elgin Baylor, he wants to be a legend like Michael, Magic, Bird and Kobe and the only way to do that is to start bringing home hardware in Miami.
People say that they are upset because the best player in the game sacrificed in order to win. But he got the best of both worlds, he got paid and he got a chance to create a dynasty that might become one of the best teams in the history of the game and we, as fans, are complaining? Isnt this why we love the game? Isnt this why we hated Kobe to begin with, the selfish ballhog who wanted it to be all about him winning a championship? The same Kobe Bryant we now praise as a winner for passing to his other 2 all-star teammates instead of shooting every possession? The Kobe we say has “matured” and can now be considered the greatest playing the game today? How does Kobe get praise now but LeBron doesnt? Since when is sublimating your ego in the pursuit of a championship make you a villian? Wasnt that the same hero story we bought with Michael? The same story we bought with Kobe? Didnt both those guys need 2 other all-stars to finally win rings?
I’m impressed with LeBron for seeing at a young age what needed to be done to secure his legacy in basketball history. He didnt wait till he was over 30 and on the downside of his career. He didnt say I just want to win 1 ring. He said Let’s make a dynasty. Let’s make Miami as storied a franchise as Boston or LA. LeBron decided that instead of just being part of history, he’s going to pick up the pen and write it himself, with 2 of his closest friends and we get to be lucky enough to see it happen.
We shouldnt be mad at LeBron. He is singlehandedly creating the greatest show on Earth in South Beach. It is like Christmas for Basketball fans across the planet, but instead the fans are complaining about the gifts they are receiving. But me? Well, I’m content to sit back and watch history write itself during every single game of this season.
Joben Reply:
August 16th, 2010 at 11:45 am
“I’m impressed with LeBron for seeing at a young age what needed to be done to secure his legacy in basketball history. ”
Some legacy. He just proved he couldn’t lead a team to multiple championships. The Miami Heat are, and will be, Dwyane Wade’s team. LeBron will be the the Pippen to Wade’s Jordan.
Come on now, greatest show on earth in south beach? Yawn. Who wants to see an overpowered team dominate weaker opponents? That’s why Shaq’s super-Lakers were no fun to watch, and that’s why the super-Heat will be no fun to watch. That’s why everyone loves Nash’s Suns and Durant’s Thunder and Roy’s Blazers. These teams don’t have multiple superstars, but they win regardless. That’s the underdog syndrome that has afflicted so many of us Clipper fans, and that’s why I am barely excited to watch the Miami Heat this upcoming season. Far from the greatest show, and more like the most predictable movie. If they win the championship, it will be more of a “duh” moment than a “wow” moment.
Bongstradamus Reply:
August 16th, 2010 at 12:59 pm
How bout an original thought instead of the dwade sidekick swipe?
And what champioship team HASNT had a combination of a big three? They all have for nearly as long as I can remember.
Wil Reply:
August 16th, 2010 at 4:46 pm
Hey Joben: If you don’t want to see the “Super Friends” in person, I’m sure someone will gladly take your tickets! Personally, as a season ticket holder i have circled January 12th as a night I WILL be going to Staples. I can do without watching a “competitive” game against Minnesota, but I am certainly going to be in my seats attentively watching to see if the Clipps can step up against the greatest show on lumber.
Josh Reply:
August 16th, 2010 at 7:25 pm
Difference. Pippen’s a winner. His name shouldn’t be used in the same sentence as the Akron Quitter. We are all Witnesses.
FD Reply:
August 16th, 2010 at 2:00 pm
agree, bashing lebron for putting himself in the best possible situation is stupid. Why leave it up to some GM that the owner hires. Nothing wrong with taking control of your own destiny if you can.
D.J. Foster Reply:
August 16th, 2010 at 7:36 pm
I don’t think most people have a problem with LeBron actually leaving Cleveland…it’s how he left that has everyone up in arms. Good post Bong.
Posted on August 16th, 2010 at 10:55 am
I really enjoyed this post. It totally resonated with me.
In any story, you’ve gotta have a villain. And when your hero (the Clippers) isn’t quite…meeting expectations, rooting against the villain can be almost as fun as cheering for your hero. My villain has always been the Lakers, and has been embodied by Kobe. I can’t stand Kobe, and love cheering against him.
The irony of this summer is that for most Kobe haters, Lebron has been the “hero” of late. He’s been the guy who was everything Kobe was not – a playmaker, a good teammate, a willing passer – and most importantly, Lebron was flat out better than Kobe. Now, everyone hates Lebron, and suddenly people actually want Kobe and the Lakers to beat them (I am most certainly NOT one of those people).
Personally, I’m thrilled that Lebron and co. formed the Super Friends in Miami. The last thing I wanted to see was Kobe and his evil minions (going with the theme here) win 3+ championships in the next several years.
Great work as always DJ!
D.J. Foster Reply:
August 16th, 2010 at 7:32 pm
Thanks man — I thought about the Kobe dynamic as well. He’s no longer the most hated man in the NBA…which feels a little weird, doesn’t it?
Chris. Reply:
August 17th, 2010 at 1:07 pm
Kobe is still my most hated man in the NBA. Before Kobe, I hated Magic the same (although hate wasn’t as much a part of my youthful years). Being from LA and loving the Clippers my whole life, the Lakers and whoever played for them have always been my #1 villains. I can’t even stand watching there games because I hate the announcers too.
As for Miami, I will also be rooting against them every time they play now but still watching a lot of the games because it gives me an automatic hero vs. villain just by watching it.
Posted on August 16th, 2010 at 12:32 pm
How about underdogs? I love to cheer for an underdog. The victory is much sweeter. As far as i can remember the sweetest championship that i’ve personally enjoyed was when the Angels won the championship. 2nd is the RAMs and im just waiting for the clips. A clips trophy would def be sweeter x2! I guess that’s why im a clips fan.
Posted on August 16th, 2010 at 2:20 pm
you can say part of me being a clipper fan is because of kobe.
still drinking the haterade.
Posted on August 16th, 2010 at 2:48 pm
Big difference between Lebron and Kobe, is Lebron hasn’t ratted out his teammates about cheating on their wives.
Posted on August 16th, 2010 at 7:10 pm
I don’t like Kobe. I think he’s a bad person, for numerous reasons, and he seems to demonstrate this repeatedly on the basketball court. LeBron’s more pathetic than anything. He just quits when the going gets rough, and if you think that’s going to change in Miami, you’ve got a big surprise coming. When the going get tough, LeBron grabs his elbow, mails it in, and takes his talents to South Beach.
I’m going to enjoy his continued failure. But not as much as I would Kobe’s. Unfortunately, for all his flaws, Kobe’s a winner. He’ll probably be back in the finals next year, and I’m pretty sure LeBron will be watching at home.
Oh, and one thing Kobe is doing, KevIn Durant is doing, Rajon Rondo is doing, and Blake Griffin is doing that LBJ is not this summer? Working on their games.
Bongstradamus Reply:
August 17th, 2010 at 9:40 am
Any guy who can average nearly a triple double and take an entire team to the Finals when the second best player is Anderson Varejao is not failure. What LeBron by himself did with the 11 other dwarves smokes what took Kobe partnered with Shaq or Lamar and Pau to do.
Kobe has only won when he had people around him that could win. When it was just Kobe they got bumped out of the first round. LeBron actually took a team to the Finals.
Now we can start comparing Kobe to LeBron since the cast that supports them has finally become relatively even. This new Big 3 in Miami is legit, and thats probably why everyone is complaining. But its not any different than the offseason before Boston built their current big 3 with KG, Pierce and Allen except this tandem is all in their prime and not on the back end of disappointing careers with the only consistent thing in the offseason was being eliminated from the playoffs.
Josh Reply:
August 17th, 2010 at 9:51 am
LeQuit wanted Ben Wallace. He got him. He wanted Larry Hughes, he got him. He wanted Jamison, he got him. He wanted Mo Williams, he got him. He wanted Shaq, he got him.
He was the de facto GM of that team, and there is no denying that he quit on his way out of Cleveland. Tape don’t lie.
And to say that KG, Pierce, and Allen have had “disappointing careers” is just asinine and insulting to any fan of the sport.
Bongstradamus Reply:
August 20th, 2010 at 6:04 pm
LeBron said he needed help. Management went out and got 34 year old stars and called it “surrounding him with talent”. Calling Mo Williams a star is “asinine”. If you think LeBron was on the phone negotiating and doing all the GM work, youre crazy.
And yes KG, Pierce and Allen had disappointing careers as far as postseason play. They are great players, I have a lot of love for them, but each of those guys got bumped with their teams every single year. They just couldnt carry the load when it came to the playoffs until they all came together. It wasnt till the backend of their careers that winning in the postseason became important.
That just punctuates the value LeBron brings. He carried a team to the Finals. He made all those role players valuable and productive members of the team. He didnt quit on anything except a team run by an owner who thought he “owned” LeBron and traded for bad contracts on aging stars in order to “push them over the top”.
Posted on August 16th, 2010 at 7:30 pm
LOooooOOOOOL Fuck the Clippers you bunch of underachieveing losers. Your franchise couldn’t carry Adam Morrison’s jock. You don’t even deserve to play in the greatest city in the world. You should be moved to Akron. The Akron Clippers sounds great doesn’t it? I can’t wait for Kobe (The greatest player of his generation) and the Lakers to piss all over the Clippers like they usually do. What a pathetic franchise. F*** LeQuit & F*** the Clippers.
Lakers 2011 NBA world champions
Vinny Del Negro Reply:
August 17th, 2010 at 8:46 am
F*** you too! The clips split the season series so how is that pissing on the clips again???…keep a steady hand whiile typing n holding kobe’s nuts
Josh Reply:
August 17th, 2010 at 9:52 am
Stay classy, Laker Fans. And pissing isn’t Kobe’s thing. Rape is.
CLIP4LIFE Reply:
August 17th, 2010 at 12:36 pm
hey you peace of shit.. Fuck the Lakers its real easy to pull for them like the rest of the idiots in LA you bandwagoneers. Dont come over to our side when we start winning cuz you probably will that what you fakers know how to do. we spanked the Fakers twice last year and when my boy Blake gets there asses this year it wont even be funny,. Like when he almost took down the rim on one of your players cant even tell you who. go blog with all the pussy on the other side..punk
clippafan4life Reply:
August 18th, 2010 at 4:17 am
Laker fans can’t even give their players proper nicknames because they only tune in for the playoffs. “Ron Ron”, thats a rip off of bron bron – for lebron. Kobe nicknames himself black mamba, which only shows his lack of a college education. Fisher – Fish umm ok… Gasol doesn’t even have one. Laker fans are typically people with small penises that have no other way to feel good than to watch a mediocre team, quite like their fans, win by shooting free throws. It will be fun to see kobe when the league turns on him, much like shaq, and gives him no calls. Odom will then flake, Artest will punch out some fans, and Gasol well he no speka after that.
Posted on August 17th, 2010 at 4:07 am
That was Mbenga he smashed on last pre season
Posted on August 17th, 2010 at 7:32 pm
I loved that dunk I just wish it woulda been on Lamar
Posted on August 17th, 2010 at 7:33 pm
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