5 Reasons It’s Hard Not To Like LeBron James

1. His story has played out like a Hollywood script.

The fact that LeBron James is currently the best player in the world (if you try to disagree then you don’t watch basketball, or simply aren’t a realist) is flat out amazing. So much could’ve gone wrong – especially considering the fact that he’s been in the spotlight since he was very young. When your actions are scrutinized, you’re being heavily recruited, and likely everyone in your vicinity wants a piece of you – that’s a recipe for disaster. A heavy load of expectations were placed upon his shoulders and he’s managed not only to deliver, but to exceed all of them. The opportunity to cave under pressure was there, and Lebron James sprinted past it without so much as a stumble.

2. His Charisma (e.g. Dancing).

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXjNkFvZcaw%5DThis has become a less common occurrence since James made the jump from Cleveland to Miami, but it’s always nice as a fan, to see a 6’8 professional athlete with an even larger personality, keeping things lighthearted amongst his team, but being fully capable of stepping on the court and dominating the entire game. He reminds me of that teacher who had a way of making learning fun, keeping classes productive without having to be ill-mannered. That’s LeBron. A leader capable of boosting team morale and consistently performing at an elite level.

3. He’s fan friendly.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sqd3jUPq3Lw%5DA prime example of this notion occurred when a fan hit a $75,000 half court shot, and was greeted by an enthusiastic tackle-hug from LeBron. This didn’t seem like it was for show or staged – it appeared to be genuine excitement from LeBron for this fan, which is something we don’t expect to see from superstar athletes, who often tend to lack the humble gene nowadays.

4. He doesn’t just dominate, he does it in style.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0dQI4qRwWE%5DI mean, c’mon – what’s not to love about his dunk résumé. Here are 10 of them, but disregard #6 in this video.

5. Role model.

He’s never been in trouble. I know praising someone for not doing the wrong thing seems strange, but take a gander at the other athletes of LeBron’s caliber. I won’t name names or list specifics, but just about all of them have had some kind of significant slip up. Obviously nobody is perfect and athletes tend to have lots of money and more opportunities to screw up. Also, if you go out this weekend and do awful things, two, maybe three people will care. For a professional athlete it’s global news. That’s a tough spot, and James has performed as well off of the court as he has on it.

Seriously, the worst thing LeBron has done that we know of was to make a decision about switching teams on national TV. Oh, and that only raised $3,000,000+ for charity. FOR CHARITY.

Let’s be honest – if LeBron would’ve stayed put in Cleveland, or on a team that wasn’t so freaking terrifying to fans of and players on other NBA teams, there’d be a lot less hate. Just because he didn’t do things in a way that people could fathom or how they expected, doesn’t mean he’s in the wrong. We should be happy this man has come along. To entertain us with his athletic ability and to be someone we can actually feel comfortable having kids look up to.

Why don’t people like LeBron James? I don’t know for sure, but this quote comes to mind:

“People fear what they don’t understand and hate what they can’t conquer.”