LeBron James: Ladder that the Miami Heat superstar needs to climb to improve his standing - Part 1
From being loved immensely to being hated virulently, is a feeling very few athletes can claim to have experienced. It’s analogous to having a double glazed fudge brownie dipped in thick chocolate-sauce one moment and puking it all over oneself, the next. Well, at least that was what LeBron managed to accomplish when he left the Cavaliers for Miami.
LeBron has effectively managed to smear his image beyond comprehension. This is not only limited to his departure from the Cavs, but also to his failure in the NBA finals, which meant that he failed to gain the acceptance of Heat fans, let alone the wider NBA and the basketball world.
So what exactly can one do to restore a certain level of respect, after becoming the object of disgust like the self proclaimed king has?
In other words, what steps can LeBron take to reduce his current villain-like image and gain some reverence from the fans, especially the Heat supporters?
First and foremost, LeBron needs to realize that actions speak louder than words. He needs to stop delivering flowery promises and redundant apologies and train harder than ever, so that he doesn’t choke the next time Miami needs him in a clutch situation.
This time he needs to deliver and in order to do that, he needs to insulate himself from the media as well as the prevalent criticism. All he should do is focus, train, focus, train; so that he eventually prevails.
What is also important is that while he tries to focus on nothing but winning a championship for the Heat, he needs to do this as a teammate of Dwyane Wade. This brings us to our second point; The Miami Heat fans consider their team to be Wade’s team and the sooner LeBron realizes that, the better.
No doubt they are good friends now, but LeBron should take the back seat and stop trying to steal the limelight that belongs to Wade. Wade is on another level in terms of respect and LeBron is currently approximately 110 levels below him.
So what will benefit LeBron the most is if he becomes a loyal sidekick of Dwyane Wade. Yes, you heard me right LeBron, you can only succeed as Wade’s sidekick in Miami. That role will allow James to help Wade and together they can do wonders. It will also show the Miami fans that he is playing for them and not for himself, the latter being the usual case.
Once he is able to distance himself from labels such as ‘selfish’ and ‘self centered’, he will start treading towards calmer and more hospitable waters. The pre-requisite for this, which is also point number three, will be patience and the ability to take control of his emotions rather than the other way round.
He needs to harden up and learn to control his anger, as well as employ the art of handling pressure. King James has absolutely no margin for error if he finds himself in a situation similar to that of the playoff finals again. He needs to learn to adapt to the game and carve his way past any situation, something he is well capable of.
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