LeBron James had already stomped over the suffocating expectations as “The Chosen One.” When he came into the league as a rookie, he left most with their mouth hanging wide open. By the time he was 21 years old, he had already encountered and conquered so much. Well, maybe, other than the “killer instinct” claims.
James’ seemingly gentle nature and routine smile were the next things critics could pick at. Michael Jordan had set the precedent with his often stone-faced appearance. Then came Kobe Bryant , who took everything his predecessor established and tried making his own version. Once Bron reached NBA superstardom, his critics wanted him to continue that lineage. Instead, he took his own route — something not everyone agreed with.
“I don't think I have an instinct like Kobe, where I just want to kill everybody," James said via ESPN.com. “But I do want to be the best player on the court every time I step out there."
The Cleveland superstar was carving his own path. Being a “killer” on the court was cool and all, but No. 23 wanted to be his own man. Even in his lowest moments — when critics pointed to his lack of intensity — LeBron stayed firm on being himself.
“At that time last year, I didn't feel like I had it," he said in 2006. "That's not to say I wasn't competing as hard as I could. But you could see a difference between Kobe Bryant's game and mine. I'm still learning. I'll be a totally different player this year. … I'm getting there. I'm getting there."
James never batted an eye
Living up to the standards set by MJ and the current best player, Kobe, were two massive tasks for the 21-year-old. While most young players either overwork themselves or stumble trying to juggle such pressures, No. 23 had a different approach. Even if he believed internally that he was better than Bryant, he gave No. 24 his due respect and moved forward. Though he aspired to be like Jordan, he never altered his game to fit or match the standards the world had set for him.
He was always more Magic Johnson than Jordan — but he was never quite similar to one or the other. Off the court and in his interactions with teammates — even then LeBron, didn’t want to act like Kobe, Michael, or anyone other than himself.
“He has a unique attitude for a superstar," expressed former NBA player Scott Williams. "So many superstars I played with cared only about themselves. He develops a rapport with his teammates."
Related: When Bird predicted MJ would become the future of the NBA during his rookie year: "Pretty soon, this place will be packed every night, not just when the Celtics come to town"
“Not clutch” they say
The most disputed notion of James’ career has been clutchness: a 10-letter word that encapsulates the most heated debate topic among NBA fans. Let’s cut to the chase: the biggest reason why the NBA’s all-time leading scorer has been viewed by some fans as “not clutch” is because of his willingness to pass the ball at the end of games.
We can go through countless examples, from him opting to pass the ball to Kyle Korver in the fourth quarter of Game 3 of the 2017 NBA Finals to No. 23’s decision to feed George Hill a pass in the Finals the year after. It’s true that Bryant and Jordan were almost totally reluctant to pass the ball at the end of games as opposed to James, but for his career — No. 23 has more playoff buzzer-beaters than the two retired legends combined.
Related: Skip Bayless says Bronny has a bigger clutch gene than LeBron: "They went to him late two or three times, he just nailed threes"
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