subject: The basketball superstar LeBron James'have two new nicknames:"The King" and "the Chosen One" [print this page] The basketball superstar LeBron James'have two new nicknames:"The King" and "the Chosen One"
The 25-year-old, on his way to becoming one of the best basketball players in history, is about to become one of the wealthiest sportsman in the world as he decides which team he will be playing for in the NBA next season. Long before contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers expired recently, James had become the subject of one of the biggest transfer sagas in sporting history.
While Cristiano Ronaldo's transfer to Real Madrid took roughly a year to complete, a possible James move has been the subject of intense speculation for two years in the United States. Ever since it became clear the forward would become a free agent, observers have been guessing as to where LeBron will be playing when the new season begins in November. James can officially sign for a new team from this weekend at the start of what has become known as "The Summer of LeBron".
Phil Taylor, senior writer of weekly US magazine Sports Illustrated, says LeBron essentially has the whole league on hold. "Maybe, in the end, it will have been worth it to go through all the speculating, analysing and downright guessing. But we won't know that until LeBron James finally signs on someone's dotted line," he wrote recently. "For everyone's sake, let's hope they don't drag it out. We ask only one thing of LeBron: Sign somewhere. Anywhere. Soon." Like Ronaldo, who reportedly makes 11m per season as one of the best paid players in world football, LeBron can expect to earn an extremely lucrative contract. It is estimated that he will earn somewhere in the region of $16m (10.6m) per season, although a recent Wall Street Journal article suggests that if each NBA team were not operating under a salary cap, LeBron could expect to earn approximately $43m (28.5m) each year. Forbes Magazine has also estimated that the player earns $27m (18m) annually in endorsements off the court. Perhaps it is unsurprising that James is so widely coveted. In the past season he averaged almost 30 points - the average for his position, small forward, is roughly 11. He is also a charismatic leader on the court, although he has been criticised for being a selfish player on occasions. Everyone has an opinion on which team James might end up starring for, be it sports fans, the media or celebrities appearing on chat shows. Even President Barack Obama has commented that LeBron "would fit in pretty well" with his hometown team the Chicago Bulls. American sports websites are full of LeBron news. Sports Illustrated have even started the 'LeBron James Watch' , which is purely dedicated to news regarding the two time NBA Most Valuable Player. The Twitter trend lebron '' is in overdrive. Cities are running campaigns to entice James to their teams. Unfortunately, as with all transfer sagas, fans somewhere are going to end up hurting. On this occasion, it might well be fans of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
James, an Ohio native, was taken as the top pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. Unsurprisingly, Cavs fans took him to their hearts immediately as he looked likely to end the city's failure to win a trophy in any major sport since 1964. US television network ESPN has labelled Cleveland as its "most tortured sports city". Perhaps it is unsurprising that Austin Briggs, a Cleveland resident, is running a website dedicated to persuading the six-time NBA All-Star to commit to winning a championship with the Cavs. "LeBron is key to the future of Ohio. He brings economic and social value as a great role model and is an unbelievable athlete," Briggs told BBC Sport. "What makes LeBron different is his dedication and caring relationship with his hometown of Akron. "It seemed like everyone in the media was counting on LeBron leaving the Cavs when the season finished, so I decided to come up with a campaign that would show the world how much LeBron is really needed at home." But Briggs has several major campaigns working against his. In New York , Mayor Michael Bloomberg has starred as part of an online advertisement campaign asking LeBron to "write the next chapter in NYC basketball history". In Chicago , fans have created a website asking for donations to help their campaign to bring The Chosen One to the Bulls. Ultimately, only one man knows where he will be playing next season, and that is James himself.
