Comparing James to others like comparing apples to goats
Alex Rodriguez. Roger Clemens. Reggie White. Barry Bonds. Moses Malone, if you can remember that far back.
All of them were big-name free agents who had made their mark playing for one franchise before bolting to another.
According to espn.com’s Scoop Jackson, they’re all just like LeBron James. That being said, we should stop vilifying Bron-Bron.
But first, let’s consider the following.
- Bonds took less money to leave Pittsburgh and play for a Giants team that his father, Bobby, and godfather, Willie Mays, had played for.
- Clemens was considered washed up by the Red Sox when he signed with Toronto.
- White was one of the most respected players in the NFL when he left the Eagles for the Packers.
Granted A-Rod was rumored to want his own personal plane or helicopter or some flying instrument when he was getting ready to leave Seattle (and Jackson’s 2004 example doesn’t work because A-Rod wasn’t a free agent then). And I doubt there was much hype surrounding Malone’s free agency in 1982.
But there is one big thing that separates those players, and every other free agent in the history of sports free agency, and LeBron James.
None of them promote themselves the way James – with the help of ESPN, Jackson’s employer by the way – does. None of them went live on television with an hour long infomercial to promote his “brand” and rip the heart out of his hometown team.
None of them placed a championship in their respective sport above the Championship of Me.
Would Michael Jordan have really left the Bulls to win championships in Detroit with Isiah Thomas? Doubtful, since neither would likely play the role of second banana.
Jackson comes close to getting it right with his comparison of the 2010-11 Miami Heat and the 1982-83 Philadelphia 76ers, the team Malone joined with Julius Erving and Andrew Toney. But that comparison would fit better with the 2007-08 Boston Celtics than the Heat.
Trying to compare James and the Heat to A-Rod joining Derek Jeter and the Yankees doesn’t work either. A-Rod never tried to turn himself into a “brand” the way James has. And let’s not forget that baseball is more of a team sport than basketball. You need more than one great player to win in baseball. Not so much the case in basketball (see 2009 and 2010 NBA Finals).
Saying LeBron-to-South Beach is like any other big free agent signing is like saying that Elvis was just another musician.
It’s believable if, and only if, you throw out all the facts.
