So it is with LeBron and Cleveland.
To some skeptical residents, LeBron’s return to Cleveland is less that of the prodigal son’s triumphant return home than the straying husband who abandoned his longtime partner to chase a younger, hotter, firmer slice having second thoughts. Having realized he traded a deep love for a sweaty romp, he’s coming home with a bouquet of roses in one hand and a diamond bracelet in the other, begging forgiveness for his foolish mistake of lustful youth. (read the whole thing)
Monday, July 14, 2014
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Why LeBron Can’t Go Home Again
"Wolfe, who took that title with permission from writer Ella Winter, used it to mean that once we leave home and are battered about by our adventures in life, we become changed. And in our disillusioned minds our “home” becomes a romanticized symbol of our innocence where we dreamed limitlessly and were loved unconditionally. But that home, too, has changed because of our absence. The residents are more wary."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
6 comments:
LeBron has a personal fortune in the hundreds of millions.
He can summon a private jet and go wherever he wants whenever he wants.
I like Kareem.
I had a similar dream about this last night. The setting was our family house in the foothills. A high school friend was visiting from Louisiana again. He lost a tremendous amount of weight and was a different physical person entirely although his face still recognizable. Mum was still alive but unseen, showering in her own rooms upstairs. Gary leapt up the stairs, then down the stairs, in great physical form. Already dressed. He was eager to get started. He wanted to photograph the sunrise, and it is undeniably beautiful out there behind the house. He dashed out before I could get fully dressed. I am barefoot and partially naked. We are separated by fencing. I'm concerned about dogs barking and me being noticed in inconvenient partial dress. Gary got great shots on the other side of the fence. I can see what he's shooting of frost on the trees limbs, a bare copse, just before the sun rose and it would all disappear soon. I left my camera inside and resented not being able to capture the temporary scene while still worried about my compromised situation. Then I awoke tremendously sad. Because Mum is dead. Gary is still obese if still living, and the house is sold. The area back there is actually not as beautiful as when we first moved there, the lake drained, and nearby acres sold and developed. No, you cannot go back even to an improved version. If only in a dream.
Unlike Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, I seriously doubt that LeBron James knows how to fly an airliner.
KAJ is a stoner. For some reason I associated him with the Hanafi siege in DC, but can't find a link to prove any connection.
As for going home again - during the snows of yesteryear we did some awesome sledding on a hill on a farm behind our house. Awesome - that hill was so high and so steep it was all we could do to trudge back up, dragging our sleds behind us. But the ride made the effort worth it - man, we rocketed down that slope. We were like junior versions of Vinko Bogataj. Oh yeah, we lived on the edge!
I went home again, nearly 40 years after moving away. Imagine my disappointment when I saw that not only was the hill not steep at all, it had been turned into a tennis court.
NO SLEDDING FOR YOU!
Pretty funny essay!
Kareem (then named Lew Alcindor) played in Milwaukee when I was a young man living there. He was the most graceful athlete I've ever seen. He invented a shot - the skyhook - that other teams could not defend against.
The thing that was a lasting impression, though, was that he was a classy, humble man. He was honest, and very well spoken. His answers to media questions were always interesting.
When it became known that he was leaving Milwaukee, he was honest about it. He didn't blame others, or blame the team owner, or the desire for more money. He just said that he was a big city guy, had enjoyed being in Milwaukee, and wanted to return to living in a big city. Period.
He likes Milwaukee and Wisconsin. He is currently appearing in television ads (as his old role as a pilot) for the Wisconsin Department of Tourism.
That was a thoughtful essay. I doubt that many current NBA players could write that well.
Post a Comment