Has there ever been a player that lived up to the hype like LeBron?

frozt · Post #1 » by **frozt** » Wed May 27, 2015 8:44 am

Just have to give the man props, people put so much pressure on him to live up to the next big thing coming out of high school. If he SOMEHOW wills this team to a title, I have no problem putting him in my top 5.

Cycklops · Post #2 » by **Cycklops** » Wed May 27, 2015 9:00 am

He's lived up, but there are guys who've been League MVP or who have won the Championship as Finals MVP in their first season.

CodyB_ · Post #3 » by **CodyB_** » Wed May 27, 2015 9:11 am

Hell yeah he has.

The guy is at a point where he could take the worst team in the league and make it a 50 win team just by being there.

I think he is the best basketball player of all time, over Russell, over Jordan over anyone just because of that fact.

Need a point guard? You've got Lebron to run the offense. Need inside game? You got Lebron to play with whatever defender is in front of him in the paint. Need 35ppg? You got Lebron to get key basket after key basket? CRAP. You need some defense? Lebron can shut down your point guard, guard your defense or anchor the whole damn defense.

Scary thing is he can do all of those things in a single game.

If not anything, he is the most versatile guy of all time but I seriously think he is the best.

XTC · Post #4 » by **XTC** » Wed May 27, 2015 9:15 am

The scary part is... He can anchor both an offense and a defence. Anyone who watched Miami knows he was the main clog in their defence. This post season once again he is the main clog in the defence. I don't know about you guys, but a ring this year might put him in the discussion for the GOAT.

DoubleLintendre · Post #5 » by **DoubleLintendre** » Wed May 27, 2015 9:18 am

Not that I can think of. But I mean to be real, there are so many players throughout the year who are touted a "generational talent" that eventually one of them is going to become that generational player.

Every few years we get another couple of players who are supposed to be great, and don't pan out. There are many more Odens and Telfairs than Lebrons throughout time. If 20 different players are being hyped with GOAT potential over a span of a decade, at least 1 of them is going to become a special player.

Nevertheless, credit is still due to Lebron for fulfilling and exceeding all the expectations of greatness.

frozt · Post #6 » by **frozt** » Wed May 27, 2015 9:25 am

DoubleLintendre wrote:Not that I can think of. But I mean to be real, there are so many players throughout the year who are touted a "generational talent" that eventually one of them is going to become that generational player.

Every few years we get another couple of players who are supposed to be great, and don't pan out. There are many more Odens and Telfairs than Lebrons throughout time. If 20 different players are being hyped with GOAT potential over a span of a decade, at least 1 of them is going to become a special player.

Nevertheless, credit is still due to Lebron for fulfilling and exceeding all the expectations of greatness.

Sure, but the media hyped him up and called him King James in high school, the next messiah. It was ridiculous. It's kind of crazy to think about. LeBron is the kind of guy you know can just win you a NBA Finals Game on his own, and you almost kind of expect it. He's going to have one of those games where hes like 30/15/11

JVL · Post #7 » by **JVL** » Wed May 27, 2015 9:31 am

He's really the first product of the digital media revolution. He got hyped since he was just a kid, televised high school games, SI covers, every journalist, sports writer, social media pundit setting the bar as high as it can be.
Other players have received hype, pressure, but none like Lebron. Not the omnichannel, 24/7 madhouse cycle of current media 2.0.

It took him a while to fulfill the expectations of winning, but he has nothing more to prove now. He's shown us that he's one of the most complete basketball players to ever play the game, he has shown that he can anchor a team on both ends of the floor, he has shown that he's a tremendous leader.

He might not be the greatest of all time, but he's not far off. We've never seen a player like this before, and what he's doing right now is nothing short of amazing. They might lose to the Warriors, but that would not hurt his legacy.

He's already a top 5 player. When he hangs his shoes out to dry permanently, he will have cemented his legacy as the second best player behind Jordan.

Post #8 » by **zimpy27** » Wed May 27, 2015 9:32 am

I'd say Kareem and Olajuwon lived up to their hype as number 1 draft picks.

But no one has ever had as much hype as LeBron. He was incredible as a kid in high school too so I guess the hype was justified.

76thBearCub · Post #9 » by **76thBearCub** » Wed May 27, 2015 10:06 am

XTC wrote:The scary part is... He can anchor both an offense and a defence. Anyone who watched Miami knows he was the main clog in their defence. This post season once again he is the main clog in the defence. I don't know about you guys, but a ring this year might put him in the discussion for the GOAT.

Clog?

mcfly1204 · Post #10 » by **mcfly1204** » Wed May 27, 2015 10:42 am

lamp23 wrote:
XTC wrote:The scary part is... He can anchor both an offense and a defence. Anyone who watched Miami knows he was the main clog in their defence. This post season once again he is the main clog in the defence. I don't know about you guys, but a ring this year might put him in the discussion for the GOAT.

Clog?

Yodelayheehoo?

ChuckChilly · Post #11 » by **ChuckChilly** » Wed May 27, 2015 10:43 am

Shaq did.

WangZhiZhiRules · Post #12 » by **WangZhiZhiRules** » Wed May 27, 2015 10:44 am

I think both Bird and Magic lived up to the hype. They both had 2 SI covers in college and the NCAA finals game between them was (and still is I believe) the highest Nielsen rated basketball game in American history. I'd say there was a lot of hype when they turned pro, especially considering the time period it was.

LeBron had the advantage of being able to be hyped 24/7 and everything he was doing being broadcast globally in less than 24 hours.

mcfly1204 · Post #13 » by **mcfly1204** » Wed May 27, 2015 10:58 am

WangZhiZhiRules wrote:I think both Bird and Magic lived up to the hype. They both had 2 SI covers in college and the NCAA finals game between them was (and still is I believe) the highest Nielsen rated basketball game in American history. I'd say there was a lot of hype when they turned pro, especially considering the time period it was.

LeBron had the advantage of being able to be hyped 24/7 and everything he was doing being broadcast globally in less than 24 hours.

Keep in mind that Bird and Magic also had the college spotlight to jump start their professional careers. As someone who grew up in the greater Akron area, I can say that you would hear about LeBron here and there, but he was almost more mythical than anything.

DarthDiggler69 · Post #14 » by **DarthDiggler69** » Wed May 27, 2015 11:12 am

He still owes the Heat 6 more championships

dolphinatik · Post #15 » by **dolphinatik** » Wed May 27, 2015 11:17 am

Shaq was hyped from day one, Kobe and KG also and I think they did ok. every year some top 5 pick is heralded the next coming so I dont read much into living up to the hype. Buy yes Lebron is one of the ones that hit the ground running and never slowed down.

TimRobbins · Post #16 » by **TimRobbins** » Wed May 27, 2015 11:25 am

Hakeen? Shaq? Magic? Kareem? Worthy?

Da1RealRapsFan · Post #17 » by **Da1RealRapsFan** » Wed May 27, 2015 11:57 am

Lebron was so big that when he signed I had an old man see me with a basketball and talk to me about that Lebron james guy signing with nike for 90 million. That's a straight from high school rookie. And i was in Canada. In the early 2000s. Absolutely blew my mind he was big enough for random old people who don't like basketball in Canada to hear of him. I don't even like her as a guy. But as a player he lives up to the hype.

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BoutPractice · Post #18 » by **BoutPractice** » Wed May 27, 2015 12:13 pm

Shaq, Kareem, and dare I say, Wilt (yes he "only" won 2 championships but it's actually Russell who created this perception that you should somehow win the championship every year, by contrast... Wilt's hype was not that he would win you every championship but that he would be so dominant as to almost be too good for the game, which he was).

LesGrossman · Post #19 » by **LesGrossman** » Wed May 27, 2015 12:24 pm

He has been protected throughout his whole NBA career tbh. No travel calls no charging calls no techs on constant barking. And to see people claim he "wills a whole team to a title" and "has nothing left to prove" is the most ridiculous thing i've seen in a while, considering he bailed on his home team and ganged up with some prime alpha players and still didnt instantly deliver but needed a bunch of high end role players around him. He did not do much "on his own" and he has a lot to prove. Namely, join a team without superstars, preferrably in the west, and prove its really YOU making the difference.

If i look at Curry or Durant, their teams sucked when they came in and yet they didnt bail on them, i really hope Steph makes it this year. Because he proves that loyality and slow and steady development CAN work out and chasing quick and easy success is ...cheap.

And if you guys dont like critical replies, maybe dont open these propaganda topics in the general board.

SunKing · Post #20 » by **SunKing** » Wed May 27, 2015 1:00 pm

JVL wrote:He's really the first product of the digital media revolution. He got hyped since he was just a kid, televised high school games, SI covers, every journalist, sports writer, social media pundit setting the bar as high as it can be.
Other players have received hype, pressure, but none like Lebron. Not the omnichannel, 24/7 madhouse cycle of current media 2.0.

This.

He's the millenials, web 2.0. guy. His biggest problems are not even the media, but the fans themselves.

More than the hype itself, it's the fact that LeBron leved up to the hype while being the most scrutinized sports guy in history.

Remember the outrage from RealGM when LeBron throws his stuff to the floor and some ballboy had to pick it up ? Not cool huh but someone took it with his mobile from TV then put it on youtube, 1.5 millions views and a lot of (unimportant) talks that I feel like some guys in the past escaped.