Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

```

At Nike, he had surpassed Woods and Kobe. Compared to the former, his life was extremely pure; compared to the latter, he had no scandals. As long as Nike couldn't pry No. 44 away from Reebok, LeBron James would remain their top athlete.

Meanwhile, LeBron's influence had already extended beyond the realm of sports. He performed with Jay-Z, campaigned for Obama, dined with Anna Wintour, and had his own foundation... He was unquestionably the most outstanding athlete in the world under the age of 25.

If it weren't for No. 44, this range could be extended to under 30.

The only thing LeBron had not accomplished was winning the NBA championship. But he had decided that this was about to change.

How could a person second only to No. 44 decide to announce his next team through a controversial broadcast?

Paul sensed that a storm was coming.

Today, the Supersonics' star guard Brandon Roy reached a 4-year contract extension with the Supersonics worth 70 million US dollars.

At the signing, Roy told reporters, "Maybe I should have broadcast this decision live."

The reactions had already begun to surface.

"An hour-long show to broadcast his decision? WTF?" a FOX Sports commentator wrote on Twitter.

An NBA player who wished to remain anonymous told a sports journalist, "LeBron's dream is to become a one-of-a-kind presence, just like Frye."

Mike Brown, who had been fired by the Cavaliers, commented, "LeBron wants to be the greatest player in history, just like Jordan and Frye."

On the same day, James activated his own Twitter account, and like Yu Fei, he sent out his first tweet: "Hello, world, the real James is here."

At nine o'clock in the evening, James was about to enter the broadcasting studio.

Rich Paul made a call to the Cavaliers' official personnel.

He told them that LeBron was about to leave the Cavaliers, but it was not a personal decision, it was a business decision.

Would that make them feel better?

Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert was furious. Four years earlier, he had attempted to keep James on the team with a five-year contract in order to avoid all this, but James had insisted on signing only a three-year contract.

Gilbert said angrily to those around him, "When that ungrateful wretch said that, we should have let him roll aside!"

Jim Gray, the host of the ESPN special program, sat in the director's chair on the stage temporarily set up in the center of the arena, with James sitting across from him in a matching chair.

Then, the program began.

Although everyone knew what the highlight of the show was, since it was an hour-long program, there naturally had to be transitional questions.

The transition lasted a full half-hour.

Then, Gray asked the question that choked Cleveland: "This question has troubled many for a whole year, LeBron, what is your decision?"

James opened his mouth, his mind flashed with the Kelker family, the fans at Quicken Loans Arena, and his once lofty self—none of which should have happened if not for No. 44.

He didn't want to be the second somebody, he wanted to be the unique him, but No. 44 was right.

Victory isn't everything, victory is the only thing.

If you can't win, even the right to be yourself is stripped away.

"Oh man, this is a tough decision," James pondered, "this fall, I will take my talents to the West Coast, joining the Los Angeles Lakers."

It seemed as if boos could be heard outside the arena, and for a moment, host Gray didn't know what to ask next.

In Cleveland, thousands of fans shed tears, they began to burn James's jerseys.

"How do you plan to explain your decision to the fans in Cleveland?" Gray asked after regaining composure.

"This is something that comes from the heart," James explained. "I never thought of leaving Cleveland... My heart will always be in that place."

The program ended, James walked off the stage, and picked up a little girl who had been arranged to watch the show live.

```

A few minutes later, ESPN was back on a live call with James: "I have to tell you, Cleveland fans are burning your jersey... You can see this..."

Yes, James had seen the picture, his jersey engulfed in flames.

"How are you feeling now?"

When a person sincerely feels that he did the right thing, but those who once swore to follow him to the death are now standing against him, he doesn't think he's done anything wrong; he only feels that all his years of effort have been betrayed.

He becomes conceited and arrogant.

The "Iceman" George Gervin and "Prophet" Moses Malone seemed to have possessed LeBron James at this moment.

"I won't make any emotional decisions," he said, "I want to do what's best for LeBron James, and I will do what makes LeBron James happy. If LeBron James weren't LeBron James anymore, the Cavaliers would trade him. Would LeBron James' family burn the team down then? Of course not, that's how LeBron James feels."

From that moment on, the media scrutiny and online backlash peaked.

Bill Simmons tweeted: "It's over. I mean, from today forward, don't ever compare Frye to LeBron. This question should never have existed."

Famous talk show host David Letterman commented: "I'm going to show my two kids LeBron's special, I want them to see the exact moment our society hit rock bottom."

The Cavaliers' owner, Dan Gilbert, was livid and penned a letter to all Clevelanders, accusing James of betrayal.

From the East Coast to the West Coast, James broke out of Nike's perfect packaging and became the villain in the world of sports.

The "New York Times" published an article online, calling Los Angeles the "new Empire of Evil" and criticizing James for "greedily chasing championship rings."

Putting aside the result that tarnished James' reputation, ESPN's special was a huge success, especially when James announced his talent was heading to the West Coast, with 13 million Americans watching the broadcast, the highest-rated studio program in ESPN history.

When the program ended, as public opinion exploded, James was sitting on a plane to Los Angeles.

"What exactly is going on out there?"

James noticed the people around him exchanging glances.

Maverick Carter said with a pale face: "We screwed up."

In the wee hours, the plane touched down in Los Angeles.

James didn't blame Carter; he knew every decision he made would influence every aspect of other matters—almost too many to handle. Sometimes, he just needed to face it alone.

People from the Lakers Team were waiting for James on the tarmac. Exhausted and emotionally drained, he got off the plane, then he and his wife got into an SUV. Hand in hand, they stared out the window at Florida's darkness.

"It will pass, LeBron,"

Savannah said to James.

"I'll be ok," said James emotionlessly, "I've seen worse in Las Vegas."

※※※

The man considered by James' camp to be the mastermind behind everything was also in Los Angeles.

After years of silence, James created the biggest off-season news in history, and the media were eager to hear Frye Yu's opinion.

They got their chance in mid-July.

When asked by the journalists how he felt about James' "Decision" and the "Empire of Evil" they were destined to face next season, he laughed scornfully.

"It proves that God has answered my prayers."

The journalists wanted to know what he had prayed for.

"Just a simple prayer. 'Oh God, please make my enemies ridiculous.' And God obliged."

PS: There's only one chapter today.