Opinion: LeBron James is America

Wednesday, 01 June 2011 | by Pat's Picks

LeBron James is America. That’s Denver Post sports columnist Mark Kiszla’s take on things after Game One of the NBA playoffs. Kiszla sets about proving his point by laying out two dualities that James embodies: He is both what’s wrong with America (“Everybody rooting for James and those who-do-they-think-they-are Heat players to get beat by Dallas might begin to understand why the rest of the world isn’t necessarily thrilled when a U.S. athlete stands atop the podium at the Olympic Games.”) and everything that’s right about it. (“No athlete since Muhammad Ali has stuck it to the man and disobeyed convention more directly than James did.”)

Similarly, he’s what divides the country (“‘Made you look’ is the mantra of the times. That’s why Mavericks owner Mark Cuban always keeps one eye peeled for the camera and old Brett Favre had such a hard time quitting football. Without really trying, James has forced the country to take sides.”) and what unites it together. (“While he is no Michael Jordan, James is without question the best current player in the NBA. And he is the best reason to watch the championship series since Jordan retired.”)