Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

James joined Old Drew's AAU team and started spending more and more time with them. That summer, they participated in the local youth AAU championship and ultimately ranked seventh out of 62 competing teams. The following year, they took part in the higher-level national youth AAU championship and finished tenth among 72 teams.

James transformed from a football prodigy into a basketball prodigy, defeating every opponent he faced in the championship.

At the beginning of the following year, when the school's teachers handed out cards to the students, asking them to write down three things they wanted to do when they grew up.

James wrote, "NBA player, NBA player, NBA player."

He left Kelker's home because his life officially took off that year.

He needed to be with Drew, to be with that little Drew who dared to challenge anyone.

As the golden days of the past flew through his mind, James realized that what he was doing today had already been foreshadowed in the past.

After leaving the Kelker family, he became the most famous middle school basketball player in Ohio State and then, in just two short years, the number one high school player attracting national attention.

Then, he met Frye Yu at the ABCD Camp.

It was 2001.

At 15, he had no idea how entwined he would become with the other party; he naively thought this man would truly become his big brother.

But in the end, Michael Jordan was right.

This was a bastard who would kill anyone to solidify his own position, using the other's blood as a foundation.

He encountered insurmountable problems in Cleveland, just as staying at Kelker's home would never allow him to become a great basketball player.

The time to leave had come.

July 8th

The Lakers announced a 4-year, $44 million contract to sign Richard Hamilton.

To the outside world, this was a medium-sized piece of news.

Since being traded from the Wizards by Jordan, Richardson's only claim to fame was his feud with Yu Fei and the several years of bloodshed between the Detroit Pistons and the Bucks, which included incidents like the one at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

However, besides these, Richardson is a shooting guard stronger than an average starter but not quite a stable All-Star, a near All-Star.

Over the years, his average statistics have always been steady at 18 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists; he is a pure scorer.

For the Lakers, his addition meant they had another player to help Kobe with the scoring load.

But everyone knew the Lakers' real problem was in the small forward position.

Since Ron Artest couldn't handle Yu Fei, they needed a more powerful presence.

Then, the day of "The Decision" arrived.

July 9th, a shiny caravan of black SUVs exited Westchester County Airport, wove through Connecticut State, winding along the tree-lined back roads, before turning onto a smooth private driveway flanked by stone walls and lush oak and maple trees.

James sat in the back seat of one of the cars, accompanied by his soulmate Savannah and their two children.

In James's eyes, the people around him were more mesmerizing than the scenery.

Upon arrival, James and his wife got out of the car and looked around. Golden sunlight filtered through the white fence of the property, illuminating the lush green lawn, with a stone path leading to the spacious New England Colonial-style home.

James and his family came here to relax, have meals, and rehearse for the show. In a few hours, he would announce his decision in a special program to be broadcast during ESPN's prime time.

From the other cars emerged a dozen people, including two of his best friends, 29-year-old Maverick Carter and 28-year-old Rich Paul, among the few who knew James's plan.

Carter was undoubtedly the most excited among them, as today's live broadcast was the result of his own connections, setup, and planning.

In his mind, aside from that person, only LeBron could make ESPN dedicate an hour of prime time for a special broadcast of the King's "Decision."

To Carter, this was a revolutionary act. LeBron's forthcoming declaration was, in effect, a declaration of independence from the economic control of team owners, as well as a breaking of the moral shackles that historically bound athletes to their original teams due to so-called loyalty.

Only Richie Paul felt uneasy.

He was the only one among the "Four Horsemen" who opposed the live broadcast of "The Decision."

The ordeal reminded him of the event that had No. 44 blackballed.

In 2005, No. 44 forced the Bucks to sign a short contract with a player option for 3 years. This completely broke the established pattern, making him the target of media scrutiny, and for a while, No. 44 was the basketball world's public enemy.

Admittedly, though No. 44 faced a great deal of criticism, his actions allowed later players to sign short contracts with their teams without pressure, indirectly forcing management to be more proactive for their stars. But Paul was aware that what LeBron was doing now was even more subversive than the short contract incident.

It was disrupting the status quo.

Paul knew LeBron still wielded tremendous influence. Despite No. 44's overshadowing scandal, in his six years in Cleveland, he did things 99% of athletes couldn't. He was christened "King" by Sports Illustrated, signed a record-breaking $90 million endorsement deal with Nike, and held a majority of the NBA records for being the youngest to achieve various feats under the age of 20. He had his own media company, movie production company, and investment firm, and he was soon to become an African-American billionaire.