Who exactly are we honoring LBJ?

by Outstrung in his first piece here *applause*

edited by TBF

Boy, LeBron sure is trying hard to make me hate him. In a plan to honor Michael Jordan, LeBron is planning to switch to #6 for the coming season and beyond. The thing is, he believes the change should be echoed league wide.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4650907

So many reasons spring to mind as to why LeBron is acting like a tool. In one foul swoop and an attempt to impress His Airness (maybe jealous he didn’t get to wear the 25th Anniversary shoes?), LBJ has insulted many more of the leagues greats and shown how self-centered he really is.
Apparently LeBrons reasoning for the retiring of the number is out of respect for Jerry West, since Jordan couldn’t be the logo of the league. This is absolutely ridiculous as Jerry West has said long ago that he’d give it up for MJ. And besides, MJ already has a logo of his own that is pretty well-known to anyone conscious and breathing (and a fair stake in the company to boot!).

 

If LBJ ever gets to hold up 6 fingers, will he also then call for the name The Greatest to be associated with him alone?

 

This also stems from further inside LeBrons “bubble” of a reality, as Jordan was hardly the first pioneer in the league. According to LeBron, “without Jordan, there is no LeBron, Kobe or Wade”. This may or may not be true, but without Magic and Bird, there is no MJ. And furthermore, without guys like Wilt, Russell and Baylor, there is no Magic or Bird. You could list a heap of other guys like that in a never ending circular argument until we get back to George Mikan and the games inception. Do you retire all of those jerseys as well LeBron, or are you only thinking from your own perspective?
The switch to 6 is pretty hypocritical too given LeBrons “respect for Jordan” stance. If he wants 23 out because he wants to honour the contribution of MJ to the game, isn’t him wearing 6 just insulting the contribution of Bill Russell and Dr. J? Is their contribution not good enough for you, LeBron?
Seriously, how much does Jordan need to be recognised anyway? Firstly, hardly any players get recognition from the league. West has the logo, Russell has the Finals MVP award….that’s about it. Jordan is widely recognised as the icon of the sport, he’s received countless accolades, and no-one will ever forget what he achieved. I think that’s enough but then again life for the seldom content Jordan IS a competition so maybe he won’t be satisfied until he gets the NBA logo and then invites Jerry West to the ceremony to rub it in his face (e.g. that guy who got picked ahead of him in high school)? Or maybe LeBron is infected with a similar cancerous mentality and is trying to suck up to his idol before he too breaks all his records, wins everything he did, and demands HE be named His Airness? That’s a gross exaggeration but one wonders what we achieve in giving another award to the man who cannot get enough of them.
Truthfully, the cynic in me thinks that this is a desperate move by LeBron to defer attention away from his impending free agency. And the cynic in me also sees this as a devious ploy to sell more of his jerseys. It’s been done in the NHL and in the MLB, but the way I see it, it’s not appropriate in the NBA nor is it even needed as in a round about way, it disrespects other greats who’ve been just as influential as Jordan in shaping the game over its long history.