The day LeBron James decided that it was not going to be the NBA Goat

Let’s start, as appropriate, at the beginning: LeBron James is not the NBA Goat. It has nothing to do with numbers. They are not the points, the statistics, nor the rebounds. They could be, of course, the championships, but To be the best of all, to be able to differentiate itself from the rest, the narrative is important. It is key. And exactly three decades ago, LeBron decided to throw his legacy for the sewer.

The decision. National televised by AM850. A show that served to understand how an athlete who had everything, a sports superhero could throw in the towel a long time. Because things, in addition to thinking them, must be said: LeBron, at that time, surrendered. He committed the original sin of impatience. He sustained fear of losers. But curiously it was too early, because I was only 25 years old: if you can’t do it, join the troop that could. Preferably to Dwyane Wadechampion in 2006 with Miami Heat Together with Shaquille O’Neal, in those years Big Diesel.

Was it necessary? Of course there was no need. But James, who at that time did not see him, raffled a large part of his legacy. In Dan Gilbert’s anger, in his t -shirts set on fire by fans of Cleveland Cavaliersthere was more than pain to lose the best player in the world: there was betrayal. No to them. Not to the city. Not even the NBA. It was a betrayal of LeBron against himself. A shot in the foot. The myth of Narcissus made basketball: Is there anyone more beautiful than me? Drowned in your own choice.

The king and a future signed by the decision

James did not know, at that time, what would come. He would win two championships with the Heat. Almost a consequence of that Big Three union. I would also lose two finals. And in those post -choice of change, I could never reach that ghost named Michael Jordan. Not even changing his number 23 by 6. After playing finals in his rookie year, of falling into several playoff courses continuously, he succumbed to the song of the sirens. To the temptation of the easy. Acceptable for the rest of mortals, but Not for talents destined to be a legend. To sit at the Big Table of Infinites. Of the unforgettable.

It is acceptable to change, but first you have to win. As he did Jordan. As he did Kareem Abdul-Jabbar after winning Milwaukee Bucks. Fidelity pays when evaluating races. He knows it Bill Russell. They know it too Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Tim Duncan and Stephen Curryamong other giants in history.

The best thing LeBron did in his player years was to try to repair the original sin. That’s why He returned to the Cavaliers and managed to win a title, in 2016, which seemed impossible against Golden State Warriors. And he got it after being 3-1 down in the end, something unpublished until then. That was his greatest narrative milestone. The lid against Andre Iguodala is, without a doubt, the play of his career. The atonement to heal a wound that, inevitably, will always leave a brand.

Those who know the story, who already combat some gray hair in front of the mirror, know very well that of some situations does not come back. It is hard, but it is so. Because that Cleveland title was little for someone like LeBron. We all know that for such a player, a Halley kite that happens very rarely in the history of humanity, the most important physically important player of all time, capable of playing in the five positions with ease, a single title in the Cavaliers is little. In fact, 4 in total about 11 disputed finals, including one with the Los Angeles Lakers in the Orlando bubble, in 22 years of career, it is insufficient where you look at it.

LeBron James will say goodbye to basketball being one of the best players who once stepped on a NBA court. The king of validity and durability. But It will never be the Goat. There is no time for that. In his prime, in Miami, he lost two finals against Dallas Mavericks (2011) and San Antonio Spurs (2014). And then, on his return to Cleveland, he won one of four against Stephen Curry and company (2015, 2017 and 2018).

What would have happened if the decision had been another? What if he always stayed in the Cavaliers? It is contrafactic. The man, in short, owns his silences and slave to his words.

In times of trouble, impatience and liquidity, it is demonstrated that constancy, perseverance and faithfulness pay.

Michael Jordan is, was and will probably be the greatest of all time. Bill Russell, the most winner. It is not so much about what has been achieved, but Of the times they were frustrated, they stood up and moved on.

Time, dear friends, puts each one in the place that corresponds to him. Without shouting or discussions: you just have to know how to wait.

One more time: You just have to know how to wait.