By: Jessica Gatten
I have never been a big fan of LeBron James. Living in Michigan the small interest I had in basketball went to none other than “Detroitttt Basketballll” (when they were good) so naturally I disliked LeBron out of default. I am more of a college sport fan simply because I think there is more excitement and passion in the game then treating it like a business in the NBA. Being a college basketball fan I wonder what would have happened if LeBron would have gone to college. With the amount of publicity he received in high school I can’t imagine how many offers he received from colleges. I can’t help but think how much publicity that college would receive, with his history starting his career in his hometown of Cleveland he probably would have gone to a school in Ohio. LeBron’s high school gained a lot of free publicity from him just playing basketball there. Imagine if LeBron stayed local and went to the University of Akron, which would have helped the whole MAC conference. When Akron played Bowling Green people would come just to watch him play.
There is also the thought that he would have gone to a different team than Cleveland, which at this point I don’t know if Cavalier fans would be happy or mad about that. If he would have been drafted to a different team his possibility of more rings and fandom would be unimaginable. Most Cavalier fans are still mad about “The Decision” but; was it better to have had him and lose him or to never have him at all? Of course all of this is theoretical but it makes you think how one decision not to go to college can change so much.
Hey Jessica, it is interesting that you brought this up. My friends and I always discussed about whether LeBron should have gone to college. There are many pros and cons in if he went to college. Yes, college basketball will not be the same; the amount of publicity will be unimaginable. The one thing to take into consideration is that he might not choose a college in Ohio. He was really young at that time and will just go with the best offer he received. If he goes to another college (not in Ohio), he is very likely to end up in another NBA team and not the Cavs. Like you mentioned, it was better to have had him and lose him or to never have him at all? Another possibility is that he might get hurt in college and never experience the NBA at all. Anything could happen. I am not huge Cavs fan myself and his decision to move to Miami did not really affect me but I think it was the right choice for him. I can see LeBron and Wade winning more championships in the future. They play together really well; keep in mind that not every superstar can connect with another superstar that well. In the end of the day, we will put ourselves first then others. LeBron made his decision to win championships and that was the right choice to move for me.
ReplyDelete-Marcus Kok
I always thought LeBron was a great basketball player until the whole Miami deal. Just like you had mentioned, I too am more of a college basketball fan than a NBA fan mainly because I feel that the college games are more competitive and mean a lot more to the players because if you lose a game your chances of making the tournament at the end of the year are a lot more harder than possibly being an eighth seed in the NBA playoffs. Anyways, I wish that LeBron would have gone to college instead of going right to the NBA. I get the fact that he was definitely good enough, but if he was my son, there would be no question in my mind that he would be going to college first. I say this because if by some chance he had a career ending injury and couldn’t perform anymore, he would need to be able to make a living somehow. With that college degree, he would be able to make more than minimum wage and be able to survive out in the real world. I do believe however that if he had went to college, then he might not have been drafted by the Cavs and most likely would of went to a different team. Finally, even though I’m not a Cavs fan, I think it was better that the Cavs got that chance to have LeBron on their team rather than to have never had him at all.
ReplyDelete-By Josh Gibson
LeBron would have definitely had a major positive impact on the college basketball scene had he chosen to attend a university. I have heard that he was strongly considering going to Ohio State at one point. This makes sense because the MAC probably would not appeal to a player who was as highly publicized as LeBron was coming out of high school. The Big Ten would have been a much bigger draw for him. Having said that, had LeBron chosen to go to the University of Akron, he would have made so much money for the MAC conference. Even if LeBron would have gone to college, the question still remains how many years he would have remained. Obviously, tons of blue chip players take advantage of the one and done policy that is now in place, but they could stay longer if they wanted to. At the most, a star college player will stay for two years but then they are gone. Obviously, players like LeBron do not come around everyday so it is understandable, in my eyes at least, how he would have wanted to capitalize on his talents by just going pro right away.
ReplyDelete-By David Shelmon
It is crazy to imagine how different the college basketball landscape would be if Lebron would have gone to college. To be fair, he most likely would have left after one year and then jumped to the pros. I have heard that had Lebron gone to college one of his possible destinations was Ohio State University. Ohio State is already a powerhouse in the college athletics world, but had Lebron arrived in Columbus...OMG it would have been mayhem! Lebron joining a college team could have started a dynasty, or perhaps he could have gotten hurt! Can you imagine that possibility? Imagine the sports world without Lebron! It's hard to do. I know that there would be a lot less hatred in Cleveland had Lebron gone to college. We watched a video in class before Spring Break about Lebron and the fans in Cleveland were heartbroken. I was much the same way when Brett Favre was leaving the Packers. In many ways the two situations are similar. The Packers have Aaron Rodgers and the Cavs have Kyrie. The Packers won a Superbowl with Aaron, maybe the Cavs will have the same fortune with Kyrie!
ReplyDeleteI could not even imagine Lebron playing college basketball. There are so many possibilities that could have happened if he would have attended a University. Would he still have been the number one draft pick? Or would he have fallen off? I feel that college ball is so much more of a team oriented sport, and this could have held Lebron back. Lebron James is very vocal about his love for Coach K and Duke Basketball. I do not even know what kind of player Lebron would be if he attended Duke. I could only see Coach K making him better and more ready for the NBA.
ReplyDeleteEven though Lebron did not decide to make the decision to attend college he is definitely one of the few athletes who was ready for the NBA and I doubt he will ever regret it.
Taylor Redd
I believe LeBron James would have brought plenty of attention to whatever college he would have decided to go to. There is no way he would have played for a MAC school because his rare gifted talents as a basketball player would have neglected him from going to any school below the typical basketball powers. LeBron however began a bad trend (not his fault) of high school players believing they could play in the NBA right away instead of going to college. LeBron would have matured much better had he went to college, but the money being offered by Nike and other sponsors was too much to turn down.
ReplyDeleteAs far as “The Decision,” yes he did plenty of great things for the Cavs and for Northeast Ohio. However, I will not forgive him for leaving especially the way he left. He put himself over everyone else with his television special. To be honest, it was a joke for him to put on a circus like he did with “The Decision.” It’s like a relationship; the way the marriage between LeBron and Cleveland ending overrides the seven years he gave to the team. In my eyes, it is simply unforgiveable.
-By Anthony Alford
It is hard to imagine what college basketball life would have been like with Lebron James in the picture. I would have to agree with most people that, if he would of stayed away from the pros he would of most likely gone to Ohio State University since he is from Ohio. However there are a million reasons why "He would say" that he should have gone to the NBA, when he did, for the money. I think the question that should be raised is if he went to college to play basketball, do you think that he would be a better player today??? Because if you look back at recent years, there have always been stars within college basketball that had made the game more exciting. For example Blake Griffen, Derek Rose, Kevin Durant, and Carmelo Anthony who came from great basketball teams within college. Therefore, to assume that Lebron James alone would change the image of college basketball at the age of 18 or 19 at the time, I just can’t see happening.
ReplyDeleteby Anthony Pape