Lebron James Ego

#23 LeBron James, the self proclaimed king, dies tonight. The king on the basketball cross gives up the ghost as #23. But beyond Jesus poses, what has he really been the king of?

 LeBron James is the King of Hype. The national media has been hyping him since he was 15. Hype of a high school junior that would dominate the NBA before his prom. Better than Jordan & Magic combined. Nationally televised games. Sports Illustrated covers. All hail the high school basketball king.

 James is the King of Tease. Like a stripper in the champagne room, he keeps basketball fans believing there will be release in the end but it never comes. No championships, no slam dunk contest wins, and sometimes not even a congratulatory hand shake after another of his playoff losses.

 James is the King of Dancing Bitches in regular season blowouts. Skipping and preening when his team is up big in December, pouting & slithering out of the playoffs year after year. 

 James is the King of Biting. Here he advertises to the world that he's an mvp while ripping Run-DMC's logo on the way to getting his nails done. Jam Master Jay must be turning over in his grave. Run-DMC are the Kings of Rock. LBJ is the King of Not.

 James is King of Pawns. What other modern African American athlete has been cast as a wild raging beast savaging white women? Can you see MJ or Magic, Jerry Rice or even Ochocinco choosing to play the angry gorilla role for Vogue? King Kong, King Pawn.

 James is the unquestionable King of the Chalk. Michael Jordan started the chalk toss. Kevin Garnett embellished it. But LeBron has elevated it into part of his brand. So his brand is based on a cloud of smoke. It's said that where there's smoke, there's fire. In LeBron's case, it's just chalk. 

 So that's it. LBJ #23 will be dead & gone in a puff of smoke. He's the king of many things, but winning isn't one of them. Class isn't one of them. Leadership isn't one of them either. 

 Tonight, LBJ #6 will rise from the dust of playoff failures past. He will shed the skin of past egomania and don a new and improved armor of self absorption. The King of Ego lives on.