LeBron James is golfing. He’s trolling comedian Kevin Hart. He’s watching his daughter swim. He’s celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the 2016 Cavaliers team he carried to the franchise’s only title.
Meanwhile, all eyes are on him, dissecting his social media posts as though they were clues in an Escape Room.
Even though James is about to turn 42 and enter his unprecedented 24th NBA season, his free agency has overshadowed Giannis Antetokounmpo being traded to Miami and the stunning news that the Celtics swapped Jaylen Brown for Paul George.
More than two decades into his career, he’s still the biggest story in the NBA.
He might be the biggest sports story in America, with speculation about his next move overshadowing Americans’ ephemeral interest in the men’s national soccer team and generating more headlines than Travis Kelce’s and Taylor Swift’s wedding. His star hasn’t faded at all with time. If anything, it has grown brighter.
Some people may be rolling their eyes. But they’re still on the edge of their seats waiting to see what he’s going to do.
Some people may want James to retire. But his name is still in their mouths.
Like it or not, James is still the center of the sports universe. We’ve watched him for so long that he has become a part of our lives. He has lived in our living rooms for two decades. We’ve spent more time with him than with many family members.
James may be the only person in the world whom both your grandma and your 3-year-old son know by name.
And guess what?
We’re going to miss him when he’s gone.
Love or hate him, James is as American as hotdogs and fireworks on the Fourth of July. He’s our homegrown hero. We’ve rooted for (or against) him since he was selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2003 draft at age 18.
We’re still wowed by him two decades later, such as when he led the Lakers to a 3-0 series lead over the Rockets in the first round of the playoffs without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves a few months ago.
Forget the debate over whether James or Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time. James is engaged in a much tougher competition: a two-horse race with Father Time.
After all these years, he’s still him.
James still generates as much interest as when he was an unstoppable force who led the Heat and Cavaliers to eight straight NBA Finals. He may have one foot out the door, but he’s still the face of the league.
For almost everyone else, star power fades with time. Young hotshots usurp bigger names. There’s a natural turning of the page.
Not with James.
When it became clear James was going to leave the Lakers, 27 of the 30 NBA teams scrambled to acquire him.
When James’ agent Rich Paul went on his podcast “Game Over” and took out a whiteboard that revealed the 10 teams he’s considering, we studied it as though it were a cheat sheet for an upcoming physics exam.
While the NBA is technically in good hands with superstar Victor Wembanyama chomping at the bit to become the next face of the league, it’s hard to imagine anyone ever comparing to James in terms of longevity or fame.
No one captures our imagination like LeBron. No one annoys us more than him. No one excites us like him. He’s always on the tip of our tongues. He owns real estate in the peripheries of our minds.
It’s remarkable when you think about it.
If there’s one thing that’s more impressive than James’ talent on the court, it’s his ability to draw eyeballs like moths to a light.
Maybe you were celebrating his four championships, overjoyed when he became the league’s all-time scorer and choking back tears when he became the only player in NBA history to play alongside his son, Bronny.
Or maybe you were annoyed when he announced his departure from the Cavaliers in 2010 in an over-the-top TV special, disillusioned when he created a super team in Miami and thought he was a sell-out when he took his talents to the Lakers.
Either way, you were watching.
And when James finally retires, the TV series that has gripped us for two decades will come to an abrupt end. It’s going to leave a hole in our lives that nobody else could fill.
There’s nobody like James.
And there probably never will be.
