http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/cavaliers/2008-02-12-james-cover_N.htm CLEVELAND — "Follow your instincts," the wise old man with the white hair often reassures his young, tattooed NBA superstar friend. Hoping to profit from the financial prophet's sage advice, LeBron James— peerless pro basketball man-child at 19, emerging businessman at 23 — continues to listen to his inner voice. And, yes, Warren Buffett. "The biggest thing he helped me with is, 'Trust your gut,' " the Cleveland Cavaliers' All-Star forward says of his conversations with the 77-year-old mega capitalist and philanthropist. "It wasn't all geared toward money and investments. It's about life, your family — the decisions you make. It was kind of funny to hear that from one of the wealthiest men in the world that he always trusts his gut. "I've always trusted mine." As when James decided not to play football his senior year at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron. When he fired his agent and decided to form his own company. When he chose Nike instead of Reebok and Adidas — although the offer of a $90 million contract from the Big Swoosh before he had played his first NBA game might have aided his decision. "He's a terrific guy," Buffett e-mailed. "I've seen him do both, and he is almost as good at business as he is at basketball." Entertaining on the court — he's the NBA's leading scorer — and off, the man with "CHOSEN 1" tattooed across his upper back is evolving as a professional and as a person. In the offseason, James worked hard to improve his court weaknesses, particularly flawed shooting mechanics, and listened to his comedic heart when he co-hosted NBC's Saturday Night Live. "The person you see on the court or doing public appearances is the same guy doing commercials or when I'm home with the kids," James says, tugging a tan woolen cap off his head. "I'm outgoing and I like to have fun. There's nothing to hide — be yourself. That's how I am." He demonstrated his versatility in a memorable SNL skit when the 6-8, 250-pound strongman played an oversized, feminine, '80s Solid Gold male dancer. "What he enjoys most is making fun of himself," says Maverick Carter, a confidante and business associate. "LeBron cracks jokes about others, but he has fun cracking on himself. That's why he likes 'The LeBrons.' " A kid at heart The inner ham lurking in the chalkboard-flat belly of James first was revealed in a Nike campaign a couple of years ago. He played four characters — Kid LeBron, Athlete LeBron, Wise LeBron and All-Business LeBron. It was truth in advertising because James is a conglomerate of those personas, if not yet a cultural icon in the vein of his hero, Michael Jordan, whose No. 23 he wears. "When I first met him, I told my wife, 'Honey, I'm shocked. I could not be LeBron James,' " Cavaliers coach Mike Brown says. "He's a normal guy. I might be arrogant (in James' situation), to say the least. I don't know if I could be as grounded. "With all of the fame and pressure he has, he's a big kid. He wants people to like him — and he wants to like people." "King James" remains bigger than life in his basketball kingdom, yet highly motivated despite his riches. The most striking visage of the bearded basketball savior is an oversized real-life mural of James on a downtown Cleveland building, with arms outstretched and head tossed back in a familiar pose. The deifying image, borrowed from part of his pregame ritual, is utilized in Nike's "We Are All Witnesses" campaign. A year ago, he delivered the franchise to the NBA's promised land. The Cavaliers advanced to their first Finals, which ended in a four-game rout by the redoubtable San Antonio Spurs, who exposed James' lack of hoops refinement. "They showed that his game — brilliant as it was to that point — was still based on power," said ESPN's Bill Walton, a Hall of Fame center. "To LeBron's credit, he never whined, made excuses or blamed teammates. He went to the gym and got down." James' patience has improved, as has his defensive leadership. He is playing with better tempo, particularly in the post. At crunch time, he is pure money — James leads the NBA in fourth-quarter scoring. Down the stretch, he often takes the most difficult defensive assignments. "He wants to be great," Cavs general manager Danny Ferry says. "Every day, he learns more what that takes and he embraces it." Enjoying perhaps his finest season since becoming the No. 1 overall selection in the 2003 draft, James has kept the injury-riddled Cavaliers from sinking into Lake Erie. After a slow start because of contract holdouts and injuries, Cleveland is 17-6 since Christmas and has won 15 of its last 18. Despite his extraordinary accomplishments, James rarely seems to be mentioned in conjunction with three letters — MVP. TNT NBA analyst Doug Collins says it's a virtual no-brainer: "(The Cavaliers) have shown they can't win a game without him." Two seasons ago, James became the youngest in league history to average at least 30 points. He finished MVP runner-up to Steve Nash. James was fifth last season. Then again, as he says, the Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant is still waiting for a congratulatory call, too, and he has toiled in the NBA twice as many years without an MVP. "Amazing," James says. "If Kobe Bryant ain't ever won it, I ain't got a chance," he says with a hearty laugh. His criteria: "If you take one guy off a team, which team would struggle most?" Easy. The Cavs. They are 0-6 without him. An explosive, often undeniable force on offense, James leads the league in scoring (30.1), with career-highs in rebounding (7.9), assists (7.2) and blocks (1.1). "At times, it's unfair to him," says teammate Eric Snow, who played in Philadelphia with Allen Iverson when "The Answer" was MVP in 2001. "People think he gets his (impressive) numbers because he has to. But he gets those numbers because he can." James, playing with a jammed right thumb and a stiff ankle, has battled nagging injuries all season. He is bigger than ever, but it can't be said the Cavs are better than ever. Depending upon who you listen to, the Cavs need a point guard or another lights-out shooter — or both — to support James. A rash of injuries has exacerbated concerns. The strain of playing without some of James' injured front-line teammates — including starters Drew Gooden, Sasha Pavlovic and key reserves Daniel Gibson and Anderson Varejao— appeared to get the better of James on Sunday. Playing at home vs. the Golden State Warriors, the Cavaliers were blown out by 30 points. Defensively, they were jellyfish. At the end of the third quarter, James sat down as teammate Damon Jones yelled and pointed toward the bench. James never moved from the end of the bench. He remained seated as the team huddled. Jones said his outburst was not directed at James, but at every Cav: "I just think something had to be said at that point." Said James: "It was definitely frustrating. I didn't feel like, as a team or me, we played as hard as we could have. We know we can play better. Now if it happens (again), then you start to worry." No worries: the Cavs rebounded and defeated the Magic in Orlando 118-111. James scored 29, dished out 10 assists and grabbed seven rebounds. Two weeks ago, before a pair of separate major deals involving Pau Gasol and Shaquille O'Neal, James said the Cavaliers could win the NBA title if only they dealt for disgruntled New Jersey Nets point guard Jason Kidd. "You shouldn't have to go to anybody in the front office for them to be ready to try to jump on it," James told reporters. Ferry would not comment, but James did not hesitate: "You see other teams get better on paper; you hope one day your team could get a little better on paper. I think my teammates know it's nothing against them because I say I would love to have a Jason Kidd on our team." Asked if he'd make the same decision today as when he signed a contract extension after the 2005-06 season that makes him a Cavalier until after the 2010 season, James pauses. "I think so," he says. "Of course. I love playing in front of these fans and my friends and family — I've been here my whole life," he said. "The organization has been good to me. Coach Brown definitely has been good for my maturity." Hedging, he adds, "I would never put all my eggs in one basket, that's how I look at it. Right now, I'm happy where I am. But you never know what happens in the future. I've got a lot of years left to play, so you never know." Family man He is building a mammoth home in the suburbs of Akron for his family, including longtime girlfriend Savannah Brinson, and their children, LeBron Jr., 3, and Bryce, 8 months. Fatherhood, he says, sits well with him. "I love it and everything that comes with it," James says. "The best thing is they know who I am. My sons call me Daddy. I see them run around and smile and have fun. They live stress free." That is not how their father grew up. Sometimes, James didn't know from month to month where he and his mother, Gloria, would end up living. James makes it a priority to give back. He regularly mentors younger players, including Kevin Durant of the Seattle SuperSonics and Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets. He will spread some love Valentine's Day when he appears to celebrate the installation of a new playground at St. Bernard Recreation Center in New Orleans, in conjunction with his foundation and State Farm Insurance. His main concern: U.S. soldiers in Iraq. "They're the real heroes and role models — not LeBron, Kobe or Tiger (Woods)," he says. James is aware the potential pitfalls of fame and wealth have swallowed many before him. As an incident on his birthday indicated, he is still learning about life — and consequences. He pleaded no-contest this month to a charge of driving his Mercedes-Benz — license plate KNG OF AK (King of Akron) — 101 mph on an Ohio freeway around 3 a.m. after returning from a Cavaliers' road trip in December. "The hardest thing about being LeBron James is that you have a lot of people counting on you to do right —and wrong, too," he says. "As much as you think people want to see you do right, there are more who want to see you fail. I believe it. They build you up. If you fall, 'It has happened before, we told you so.' They can stick to the same script — if you fail." Mr. Buffett isn't betting against him.
I dunno, i don't like kobe or lebron but back when kobe had about the same record as lebron in the western conference no less, he didn't get as much recognition as lebron is getting now. Should Lebron get the MVP for leading his team to a mediocre record when Kobe never got it that way? Or is the double standard in full effect?
Lebron is one of the best, but I hope he never wins a championship, 'cause he seems like he's too full of himself, not saying most NBA players aren't. But I think Kobe Bryant is better. Ray Allen is a close third for not having tatoooos!
He's not better than kobe. kobe is going to be #1 till he leaves that's when lebron will take over but until then kobe is the best player in the game and lebron even said it himself numerous times that kobe is the best.
Lebron is getting there but Kobe is still the best. I remember growing up I used to hate Michael Jordan because he was so damn good but I started liking him as I got older because I could appreciate how good he truly was. I feel the same way about Kobe. I hate him but he's so damn good every time I watch him play I can't help but appreciate what he does on the floor.
The media overhyping a star again. Lebron is good, no doubt, but give me Kobe every day of the week and twice on Sunday. They talk like LeBron is all of a sudden a changed player, that his game is no longer all based on power. So far, it looks exactly the same to me (though, I admit, he is a great passer). His game is still based on his ability to run through people and make plays at the basket. He's nowhere near Kobe in terms of pure basketball skill. He shouldn't be ashamed though, it's not like anybody really close to Kobe anyway.
Some of the assumptions here on Lebron sound as informed as analysts who still make the same comments on Yao as if he were still in his rookie year. Try actually watching a few of Lebron's games.
Lebron took his team to the finals and won the last game byhimself. Kobe has yet to win a playoff series. The cavs are a bad team.
Maybe you dont realize, but last year, when compared to the western conference, the eastern conference might as well have been high school basketball teams. Last year in the finals, van gundy was talking about how the top 7 western teams would've beaten cleveland in a 7 game series. in other words, lebron taking the cavs to the finals isnt a testament to his own ability. its a testament to the poor competition he had to face.
