Can you get this message to LeBron? Dear Mr. LeBron James,
You are not being yourself and I know why.
At first glance, this little letter may look pretty lengthy, but it is an extremely easy read and can have an impact on your life. (It will take no longer than 5 minutes of your time, and any sports fanatic will respect what is being said even if they are not a fan of Mr. James.)
First a little about me, I'm a young man with interests spanning from health to psychology to even writing (with that being said I hope I am not overly criticized for grammar and other errors that will occur throughout, the main goal is to get a message across). I am a huge sports fan, and when any athlete displays unbelievable ability I admire them. I am a fan of the greats in all sports, and I believe you LeBron James are a remarkable ATHLETE regardless of anything that happens off the court. I think everyone in the world can agree with that.
My current topic of interest specifically revolves around presence and giving the things you do a 110% percent.
I believe you are at a point in your basketball career where your presence is diminishing. What I mean by this diminishing presence is simply that you are not fully engaged in the game of basketball. All of your attention is not focused on being the greatest of all time, as I believe it was in your earlier years.
I certainly can understand why; you are simply being human. You have a family, business interests, and you are widely recognized as one of the great players on this planet. It is nearly impossible for you to devote all your time to the game of basketball.
It is not that you are losing interest in the game of basketball; you just have far more responsibilities. There are millions of fans around the world that support you. You reach out to them constantly whether it is through Instagram/Twitter posts, or you are at some type of endorsement event. Also, you have many business interests that revolve around investing. Don't think we haven't heard of all those meetings you have with Warren Buffet.
Trust me, us, we would understand if you shut down your social media, and did not focus so much attention on increasing your net worth. We would understand if that extra time was spent in the gym, perfecting your craft. Although people would like to believe that you were born with all your talent, I know that thousands of hours were spent in and out of the gym with basketball on your mind. You dreamed of being the best and each waking moment you put in the effort.
Present day I do not see this version of LeBron James that eats, sleeps, and breathes basketball. My past memories depict a greater LeBron; sadly this is not the LeBron of the present. I do not want to seem too harsh, but if your current mindset is not altered your legacy will suffer.
I was prompted to write this after watching the Cavs v Lakers game. You were joking around with Kobe before, during, and after the game. You blew a typically 100% dunk. I thought to myself, "man I wish I could just have one short conversation with him about this whole presence deal, it could change the future of basketball."
There is a ton more I would love to say, but for the sake of keeping this brief, I would just like you to ask yourself a few questions. AM I GIVING BASKETBALL A 110%? AM I FULLY PRESENT IN EACH AND EVERY GAME? AM I PLAYING WITH THE SAME DRIVE AND DETERMINATION I HAD WHEN I ARRIVED IN THIS LEAGUE?
If I were to answer those questions on your behalf, the simple answer would be NO. The facts are that you have as much money as you will ever need, you're one of the most popular athletes in the world, and you have control of your own destiny. The time you have in the league is limited, but you can make the most of it.
When it is all said and done, it won't matter how many twitter followers you have or exactly how many millions of dollars you have in your bank account. People simply will remember what you did on that basketball court. I say leave it all on the floor. There are many nicknames people want to give you, some positive, others negative. I prefer King James, and I hope to see King James walk on that court.
Your Fan, VM