LeBron James talks fame and his growing media empire

The Cleveland Cavaliers star forward sat down with Hollywood Reporter to discuss his growing media empire.

When sports stars achieve global fame, the assumption is that they do so completely through the meritocracy of the playing field. More so than any other modern icon, a sports star does not have to be beautiful or rich or connected, they simply have to be great at what they do.

LeBron James is undoubtedly great at what he does, but that alone is not the source of his power as an international idol.

LeBron is featured in an issue of Hollywood Reporter, where the magazine was able to get an in-depth look at the star as he extends his global image from beyond the basketball court. But the piece is not a view inside LeBron the person; it’s a view inside LeBron the product.

Ever since the fateful “decision” of 2010, where LeBron created a spectacle out of his free agency choice to join the Miami Heat, he has been careful to monitor how he can control his perception with the media.

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When he chose to return to Cleveland for this year, he did so by publishing a piece at Sports Illustrated outlining his choice. This move was perhaps done as retroactive damage control for the outrage in Cleveland for leaving.

James discusses his role in the upcoming Judd Apatow film Trainwreck, and the anecdotes from James and Apatow portrays the basketball star as the perfect mixture of humility, informality and dedication to whatever craft he approaches.

From Hollywood Reporter:

"“We tested the movie, and he gets laughter as big as anyone,” says Apatow. “The only fear you ever have with people of his stature is whether or not they’re game to have fun and take chances. They’ll say: ‘I don’t want to say that. That will sound weird. That’s not good for my reputation.’ LeBron is a very strong actor, and he has a fantastic sense of humor. We do a lot of improvisation, and he was really good at it. As a result, it’s a really fun, wild, slightly strange performance that really scores.”James admits that he was as anxious on the New York City set of Trainwreck as he was for his very first NBA game. Last summer on a Nike promotional trip to China, he had his entourage — Carter, Mims — read the other characters. “I was just trying to stay ready,” he recalls. “I was very nervous — all the way to the point where they said, ‘Action.’ ”"

LeBron appears committed without the off-putting insane drive of a Kobe Bryant. He comes off as easy-going without being reckless or lazy. It is impossible to hear these things about James and not like the guy.

Similarly, James walks the tightrope walk of being principled while still avoiding controversy.

He remains vocal about the growing concern of the relationship between law enforcement and minority citizens, speaking up about the killing of Cleveland pre-teen Tamir Rice. His opinions are both measured and thought-provoking when he talks about how he discusses interactions with the police with his sons.

"“Absolutely,” says James. “And the talk is, ‘You be respectful, you do what’s asked and you let them do their job, and we’ll take care of the rest after. You don’t have to boast and brag and automatically think it’s us against the police.’ I’ve had one or two encounters with the police in my life that were nothing. But sometimes you just got to shut up. It’s that simple. Just be quiet and let them do their job and go on about your life and hopefully things go well.” “For everybody,” adds [James’ wife] Savannah."

This is the image LeBron broadcasts of himself. Of course, this is not to say that his words are disingenuous. In fact, it’s hard not to believe them. They just also appear completely conscious of how the media will ingest it. Everything has to be both simultaneously authentic and sanitized.

And for a star of James’ stature, he absolutely has to be this conscious.

Tiger Woods had similar global exposure to James during his time as the world’s next great golfer. Woods appeared as clean-cut and savvy as James, albeit perhaps a bit less easy-going. When his marital infidelity came to light, the media circus that followed engulfed the coverage of the PGA. Endorsements dried up, and the scandal became at minimum a significant chapter in Woods’ legacy.

LeBron knows that coverage would also pounce on him. The controversy of his underhanded tweets directed at Kevin Love hyper-inflated any internal strife within the Cavaliers. If James misspoke about the Tamir Rice shooting, even as a simple misunderstanding, he could expect something far grander in scale.

When discussing his fame, LeBron’s knowledge of his place as a global icon becomes increasingly apparent.

"“I can’t live anywhere normally,” he tells me the next day at his office. He has just padded in wearing gray sweatpants, a white T-shirt with a gray Nike swoosh and black Nike shower shoes with socks. He folds his 6-foot-8 frame into an office chair and rests his massive tattooed arms on the table. “I do normal people stuff,” he continues. “I go out to eat. It’s just I’m not normal, and I know that. It’s not like I’m trying to say I’m bigger than …” Asked if he misses anonymity, he smiles: “It’s been so long, I don’t remember.”"

James lives in an era when this sports media can both deify and demonize an athlete.

Rather than become a victim by their hand, he has used his intelligence to take complete control over his legacy.

[H/T: Hollywood Reporter]

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