I am 18 years old. The only expectations that I have are to do well in school, prepare myself for college, and continue my journey to manhood. I would not say those are low expectations, but not ones that involve a ton of pressure. I am not called The Chosen One. I am not expected to be the best student to ever walk the planet. These were the expectations for NBA superstar LeBron James when he was the same age as me.
From the time he was a senior in high school, lofty expectations followed James. He was expected to be the next great NBA player that would transcend time. He was called The Chosen One. If he was anything less than an all-time great player, then his career would have been considered a failure by most. This all came before he even set foot on an NBA court.
20 years later, and James has not only met those same expectations, but he has shattered them. To this very day, James is shattering expectations this late in his career.
At 38 years old he had 40 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists in a playoff game. At 38 years old, he is defeating Father Time. At 38 years old, one could argue that he is still in the prime of his career, which is crazy to think about. Despite getting knocked out of the playoffs by the Denver Nuggets, James showed that he still has a lot left to give.
This made it all the more shocking when after the game, he sparked talks of potential retirement for the first time in his career and shocked the basketball world.
If LeBron James were to walk away from the game of basketball, we will never see a player like him in the NBA again. Here are my three reasons why.
The first has to do with his staying power.