Column: LeBron James’ historic run puts him among the greats

Let’s shelve our NBA alliances for a moment and recognize the greatest player in the game.

LeBron James may just be the most hated athlete in sports, which is unfortunate because he’s playing better than any athlete in any sport right now.

I admit it, I hated James when he announced on his own prime-time ESPN show that he was leaving the city he built for South Beach, Fla.

I felt the pain of the Cavaliers fans who saw their franchise walk away.

And I understand if the city of Cleveland keeps this grudge against James forever, but it’s time for the rest of us to pay him our respects — he deserves it.

No other player in history went on the streak James did, scoring 30 or more points while shooting 60 percent or better in six straight games.

Sure, that’s a small sample size, but just by looking at his stats this year, it isn’t hard to tell what type of season James is having.

He’s shooting a career-high 56.3 percent and 40.7 percent from three-point range.
Of any other of the top five scorers, Kevin Durant is closest to James in field goal percentage at 50.9 percent.

But James’ greatness goes beyond scoring.

James is averaging 8.2 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.8 steals and 0.8 blocks per game.

His defensive game gets better every year, and he’s already made the last four NBA All-Defensive First Teams.

And this type of season will not just assure James of a fifth award in that category, but a fourth league MVP as well.

But the individual stats and accolades aren’t what make him the greatest player in the game.

James is now the leader of the defending champion Miami Heat.

When James first came to Miami, Dwyane Wade was still the leader of the team, as Wade had already won a championship with the Heat.

He was the veteran in Miami — he earned the Heat fans’ respect.

Last season, Wade realized James was starting to surpass him significantly talent-wise and was mentally ready to lead a team to a championship.

So Wade passed the torch, and James became the unquestioned leader on the team.
And then they won a championship.

It’s said that an athlete’s prime comes around age 26, when the level of athleticism and maturity meet.

James is 28, well into his prime.

Instead of comparing his prime to Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant or Magic Johnson, we should all admire how great he really is.

No player in history has ever been as athletic as James is right now.

A player of James’ size, strength and speed doesn’t seem human, let alone fair on a basketball court.

His desire to win basketball games is infectious, and he is now able to almost will his team to victory.

And yes, he made many mistakes in the past, letting his ego get out of control.

That’s the old James.

Now James is mature. Now James understands the work that goes in to winning a championship.

The new James is well on his way to forging an NBA legacy that could give him a place on the among the all-time basketball greats.   

Now James has earned our respects, and we would be crazy to ignore his ability because we’re still mad about “The Decision.”

So watch James now, because a player like this may not come again for a long time.

­— zstavis@indiana.edu