Dunk the Magic Ball, Win a Million Dollars

Magic Johnson has offered a one-million dollar prize to the winner of the slam dunk contest at next year's NBA All-Star Game.  He is doing this in an attempt to cajole Lebron James to participate in the contest.  James, while highly proficient in the skill (art?) of hurling a ball with great force through a basketball hoop, has eschewed the dunk contest, in favor of more dignified All-Star weekend festivities, like the corn-dog eating challenge. (It's possible.)  James is said to be considering the offer.

Now, I have a great deal of respect for Magic Johnson.  He was a great player--one of those on the short list of "greatest ever" candidates.  Moreover, when he retired from the game at the peak of his popularity after testing positive for HIV, he took the gutsy step of not hiding from the truth, not trying to disguise the fact of his condition with vague statements about his health or with claims that he wished to spend more time with his family.  At a time when AIDS was an all-but-automatic death sentence and its victims were often treated as modern-day lepers, Magic became the face of resistance to the disease and a tireless advocate for medical research.  In the years since, he has become a hugely successful businessman, and he has used his fame and fortune to promote entrepreneurship in minority communities.  What I'm getting at is, Magic has done a great deal of good in his life both for the game of basketball and for society at large, and I suppose he has earned the right to do whatever he wants with his money.  But still, aren't there better ways to throw away a million bucks?

It's not like Lebron James needs the money.  And even though other participants in the contest may not be at a Lebron-esque pay grade, they're still athletes who get paid a one-percenter salary for playing a child's game.  (The minimum NBA salary for a player with NO experience is over $470,000 a year.)  Plus, the winner of the dunk contest right now already gets $100,000.

When I first read about this story, I assumed that Magic was offering, say, to donate $1 million to the charity of Lebron's choice if he (Lebron) participated in and won the dunk contest.  (Presumably, he would make the same donation on the behalf of a player who beat Lebron.)  Heck, he could even guarantee smaller donations to charities on behalf of all the participants.  Such an offer would be in keeping with Magic's public image and would be a far more tasteful offer for Lebron to accept.  The offer, as it stands, is an uncharacteristic PR misstep for someone who has made very few of them.

Standing on Principle

Have you seen this picture:

That's LeBron James (just right of center, I believe) and the rest of the Miami Heat participating in the "I am Travyon Martin" protests that have been going on over the last few days across the country (see post of March 21 for a recap of the case).  In solidarity with the Martin family and in protest against the Sanford, Fla., police department's supposed "inability" even to arrest George Zimmerman for the highly questionable shooting of an unarmed teenager, the Heat and others have pulled up their hoodies to replicate the "suspicious" look of Travyon Martin before he was killed.

This picture is a particularly provocative and powerful image: Even though these professional basketball players probably all reside comfortably within the rarefied precincts of the "one percent," the sad reality is that, under the right (or, more accurately, "wrong") conditions, they, too, could easily find themselves confronted by a, shall we say, overzealous neighborhood watchman, and the result could be tragic.  We are all Travyon Martin; some of us more than others.

I've been down on LeBron ever since his infamous "I'm taking my talents to South Beach" press conference, but I'm impressed by his willingness to take a stand on this issue.  Some might argue that this is a minor gesture, but, frankly, it's rare for professional athletes to take stands on controversial issues; it's even rarer for prominent African-Americans to take stands on racially-charged controversial issues.  Michael Jordan, for example, was often criticized for not speaking out about racial injustice.

By participating in this kind of protest, LeBron has nothing to gain and potentially something to lose.  Yes, he gets some good press--particularly among the lefty liberal crowd--but the lefty liberals are not necessarily the ones who sign his paychecks or ink him to eight-figure endorsement deals. Potentially alienating corporate titans is not necessarily a smart move financially.  Don't get me wrong: I don't think LeBron James is in any particular danger of heading to the poorhouse.  Still, it's nice to see a prominent athlete taking a stand for what he believes in, even if it might cause him some problems down the road.

I'll bet he even gets some applause in Cleveland for this.  Okay, maybe not.

Sympathy for Cleveland

With apologies to the hordes of Sloppists who couldn't care less, we must weigh in on the whole Lebron James debacle.

What a pathetic disappointment.

We don't mind so much that he didn't choose the Knicks--we stick to our earlier analysis of that situation. But his ultimate choice--Miami--speaks volumes about the kind of competitor that James really is, and that is what's truly disappointing.

If Lebron had gone to New York--or even Chicago or New Jersey or just about anywhere else--Cleveland would still have felt a betrayal, and there would have been some shock and disappointment around the league. But there would also have been something almost noble about it. Lebron would effectively be saying that he wanted to take on a new challenge and that he felt he had a better chance of winning with a team other than the Cavaliers.

Look, we appreciate that the man wants to win a championship. If he says he wants to go somewhere that gives him the best chance to win a ring--and fast--we take him at his word. Indeed, he presumably would have received more money had he chosen to remain in Cleveland, so we accept the fact that cash is not James' primary motivation. And, with the Miami Heat's retention of Dwyane Wade and its signing of Chris Bosh, this team would seem to be in a position to cakewalk to the NBA finals.

But here's the thing about theHeat: This is the one team in the NBA--with the possible exception of the Lakers--that Lebron could go where he will not be the number-one guy. Oh, sure, we can argue that, in terms of pure talent, Lebron James is a better player than Dwyane Wade. But the Heat are Wade's team--have been, and will continue to be, regardless of the numbers that James puts up.

The situation reminds us of when A-Rod went to the Yankees. Rodriguez is one of the greatest baseball players of all time--possibly the greatest by the time he retires. But Derek Jeter has remained the face and voice and soul of the team.

Lebron is a terrific player taking a short cut to a title. However much he contributes to Miami--and we don't doubt he will contribute a lot--he will always be seen as someone who hitched a free ride on the back of someone else who has already truly earned a championship ring. He may still call himself the King, but he has cheapened his throne: Wade should now be referred to as the Prime Minister, the one who truly wields the power.

Breaking News: Lebron Will NOT Be a Knick

As the Lebron James watch continues, the Solipsist would like to officially declare the New York Knicks out of the running for his services.

(Disclaimer: The Solipsist has received a cease-and-desist order, requiring him to stop speaking for the New York Knicks. We have decided, however, to file that cease-and-desist order with similar orders we have received from the New York Mets, the New York Jets, MENSA, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. End of Disclaimer)

After careful consideration, we have decided that, much as we would love to see King James in a Knicks uniform, we think it better for all concerned if he stayed away from Madison Square Garden. We fear that, if the Knicks somehow manage to lure James to what has become something of a laughingstock organization, they would in short order, like a six-year-old with a shiny Christmas present, break him. No one wants to see that happen.

One caveat: James must sign with no one BUT Cleveland. Simply put, it's the right thing to do. The man is from Cleveland (well, Akron, but close enough), and he should stick around and bring that team the championship they have long desired. Let's face it, the man is going to make gazillions of dollars anywhere he goes, and in this day and age the fame and marketing opportunities are as great in Cleveland as in New York or anywhere else. He has no need to leave, and he would send a sweet message to the jaded sports fans of the world if he chose lucrative loyalty over larcenous leaving.

And if he signs with Chicago or Miami, we hope his shooting touch becomes that of Shaquille O'Neal when heaving free throws.

(Image from NBA.com)