LeBron James: 5 reasons why “The Essay” feels phony

The Decision 2.0

The event that has become known as “The Decision” was a PR nightmare for James. It was one thing to leave Cleveland, but it was something completely different to do it on live TV for the world to see.

When James decided to leave Miami, I believe he spent about a week planning how he could leave Miami and return to Cleveland in the best way possible. He learned from what he did the first time and made sure he didn’t make the same mistake again.

What did he decide to do? Instead of entertaining us and raising money for charity like in 2009, James did the opposite. He had SI’s Lee Jenkins, basically, transcribe what James’ wanted the world to hear, and it was posted, without a peep from James’ camp, on SI.com.

At first glance, the essay feels good and tugs at the heart strings. Once you take a minute (or four weeks) to digest the information, you can start to read between the lines and know there’s more to the story than meets the eye.

You see, this is all a game for James, just like basketball. If he didn’t care what the public thought, why wouldn’t he just sign a contract like everyone else does without the show? This essay was just as big of a spectacle as “The Decision.” James just wasn’t in front of a camera. He knew he had to get ahead of the media and the public, and his behavior this offseason proves just that.

James didn’t talk to the media, like, at all. He didn’t publicly meet with teams. Somehow, it was rumored that his decision would be posted on his website, but it never was. A day after his essay was posted he leaves for the World Cup in Brazil. It was perfectly planned and perfectly orchestrated. In 2014, anything that well planned out and executed should make people skeptical.

In hindsight, that much is obvious.