Fun LeBron Returns, Key to Title

LeBron James was back to being Fun LeBron last night for the Cleveland Cavaliers, a key for the team.

(Just look at the above picture. How often have we seen that from LeBron in the last 2 seasons?)

LeBron 1.0 in Cleveland was almost always a lot of fun. Team photos, dancing, smiling, laughing and very expressive on the court. LeBron 2.0 has been quite the opposite.

Since his return, LeBron rarely is expressive in a positive way. Instead, he seems to have brought back from Miami a serious nature that fits Pat Riley and his personality. His “business as usual” for everything seems forced and contrived, especially when compared to the LeBron James who loved basketball, loved his teammates and loved to have fun his first 7 years in Cleveland.

That isn’t to minimize the importance of being serious and focused on the task at hand but leadership can come in many forms. The most important part of leadership is consistency. The second most important part is the leader being true to who they are. Authenticity draws people.

Authentic LeBron is why players have loved and wanted to be around LeBron, not just play with him. He draws people to himself. Off the court, that is still true.

Off the court, that is still true.

On the court, LeBron has been much more polarizing. Much less approachable and much more focused on the negatives. Instead of drawing players in like a big brother or caring uncle, LeBron has been the screaming “Little League” parent whose kid rarely does anything good enough.

Last night was different. Last night was the return of Fun LeBron, Excited LeBron, Positive LeBron, Demonstrative LeBron.

Last night was the return of the LeBron James in his most authentic form.

It started, but did not end, with this dunk and dance:

Watch that dance at the end. That wasn’t just a “I’m strong” flex, that was a “I get to play the game I love” flex. See the end again:

That is Fun LeBron.

Fun LeBron excites his teammates, draws people together and leads from a place of authenticity.

Last year, LeBron didn’t seem to have fun at all. It got worse as the NBA Playoffs went on and Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving went out with injuries. He felt the weight of the world on his shoulders and it seemed to weigh him down too much.

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Irving and Love have seemed to struggle under the dictator, all business LeBron. The pressure of living up to his expectations are huge. The desire to avoid getting yelled at is not a great motivator nor does it unlock their best.

Fun LeBron, dancing LeBron, picture taking LeBron is the leader that willed a far less talented group of Cavaliers to the NBA Finals in the past. If he can do that with that group, imagine what he could do with this talented group of stars!

Fun LeBron was back last night. If he sticks around for the rest of the NBA Playoffs, the Cavs could be the team to upset the Golden State Warriors.

THAT is fun to think about!

Do you think LeBron needs to return to his more fun loving self?