A lot of people are having a hard time putting titles on the King of Receding Hairlines and D Wade. The #1 mistake they are making is that they are tying to fit Lebron into what they want him to be as opposed to just observing what he is.
The very same thing has happened to Floyd Mayweather.
I have watched every significant Mayweather fight since he was going by the moniker “Pretty Boy” Floyd Mayweather. In the last decade, after all those fights and all of those rounds, I have only seen Floyd in “trouble” maybe four or five times— and immediately thereafter he has went on to dominate his opponent.
Floyd’s talent is sometimes unappreciated because of his “public persona” and some of the “decisions” he had made. He also gets knocked for not throwing his hands or being a “killer” in the ring.
A lot of his “hidden” talents are overlooked (his chin and sneaky power). He has been accused of being more concerned about the fame than being the best boxer he can be.
Sounds familiar?
Lebron James is so naturally gifted that there is no question in my mind he is a better overall basketball player than Dwyane Wade— but it comes easy to him, it has always come easy to him. When you are used to always beng the best, you don’t have that inner fire that makes you the type to rip out someone’s heart out.
Sort of like how Manny Pacquiao does to his opponents in the ring.
Manny wasn’t born in a “boxing” family, and he didn’t have the natural talent or wasn’t a can’t miss prospect. He comes from a part of the Philippines where daily survival was real to the point he was working to put food on the table when he was 12 years old.
He started boxing when he was 16 years old as a way to make it out. When he became a professional, he had some struggles— he wasn’t what you would call a #1 on draft pick, he had potential, but no one saw GREATNESS.
He suffered a few Ls, a few knockdowns, but he developed a killer instinct and as he honed his skills. He started to chop down bigger and better opponents.
Pacquiao isn’t seen as a villain but a good guy—that is until he steps between those ropes.
He has his ring (consensus best pound for pound fighter in boxing)— he is just looking to add on to his legacy and will take out a friend or foe to get it.
Sounds familiar?
You know who was drafted right ahead of D Wade?
Chris Bosh.
People thought Wade would be a good player, but I don’t think anyone put the legendary tag on him. That was reserved for Lebron, Melo and even Darko.
His career hasn’t been a one of pure dominance, he has had his ups and downs on and off the court, but the one thing you know whatever happens on that court, Wade is going out swinging.
Unlike Mayweather and Pacquiao who can’t seem to come to terms, Bron and Wade are fighting for the same title together. Both are great, but in their own way. A lot of people unmistakeably thought (myself included) that their egos at some point would collide.
But what I didn’t see then, and what I see clearly now is that they aren’t really anything alike on the court—two totally different styles that when blended together, are virtually unstoppable.
Like Superman and Batman, Starsky and Hutch or Tyler Perry and Madea.
Call them whatever you like, but what they are about to be called together are CHAMPIONS.
