I had been a hater of LeBron James since 2010. Since his infamous television special "The Decision," when he decided to take his talents to South Beach and join the Miami Heat. Since the "welcome party" for the new big three: LeBron, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh, when LeBron promised "not five, not six, not seven" NBA Championships.
I actively rooted against LeBron every season, and each postseason I became a fan of every team he faced. I was thrilled when the Mavericks bested him and the Heat in 2011.
I joined the massive wave of online backlash against LeBron, calling him "LeBrick" and "LeBum." When he won his first championship against the Thunder, I did what most haters do, and I suddenly became quiet on social media.
The next year, I picked up where I left off. But when LeBron and the Heat ultimately beat the Spurs in 2012 for his second championship, I remember feeling crushed. I wasn’t disappointed that the Spurs lost, I was disappointed that LeBron won.
When the two teams rematched the following year, I remember celebrating when the Spurs won, because I had been waiting to see LeBron fail.
Once LeBron left the Heat and rejoined the Cavaliers (on my birthday no less), I remember thinking “I hope he never gets Cleveland a ring.”
I now realize that this hater mentality is useless. I wasn’t happy to see him win Cleveland a title then, but now I’m so glad he did. He brought the city their first championship (in any major sport) since 1964!
The man is a force of nature and is virtually unstoppable in the paint. In his 15th season, he’s still scoring 27.5 a game. He’s put his team, as they say, “on his back,” scoring 40+ 7 times this postseason alone.
I must also admit I used to refer to him as “LeChoke,” but looking at the stats, this can’t be further from the truth. This year is LeBron’s 8th straight NBA Finals appearance. There are kids in the 3rd grade who have never lived in a world without LeBron in the Finals.
One of LeBron’s character traits I’ve ignored in the past is his unselfishness. He has consistently, even in the direst situations, passed the ball to attain the highest percentage shot. This season (2017-2018) he averaged 9 assists per game, a career-high.
Off the court, LeBron has been a model citizen, giving to charity through his family foundation.
I can’t hate on LeBron’s greatness anymore, and I’ll be rooting for him these NBA Finals.
