King James?
Posted in: Basketball on Jun 25
Is LeBron James, who's guaranteed to be the number one pick in tomorrow
night's NBA draft,
bound to disappoint? Probably. Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady both came out of high school and took three years to mature. Kwame
Brown, the last high school player selected first overall, averaged a
disappointing 7.4 PPG last year. James will have to play much better than this year's Rookie of the Year, Amare Stoudemire, and the Cavs will have to make the playoffs, just for him to meet people's expectations. And he'll have to do it with intense media scrutiny and a $90 million Nike endorsement hanging over his head.
A few weeks ago I was lunching with a friend who knows someone whose son is an NHL prospect. They're considering a vasectomy for this kid so he doesn't attract paternity suits. Makes perfect sense as a risk management strategy. I wonder if LeBron's mom has made the appointment yet?
Posted by Gene Smith on Jun 25, 2003
