By Anthony Bosco
I have seen a lot in my years here at the TimesLedger, every sort of high school sports charade imaginable. Almost. For while I have seen some truly gifted athletes, never have I seen one as talented as LeBron James. And never have I seen the circus surrounding the Ohio basketball star before.
For the uninitiated, James is a senior at St. Vincent-St. Mary’s in Akron and widely expected to be the No. 1 draft pick in the coming NBA Draft. He has appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated, worked out with Michael Jordan and had his games televised nationally while becoming the most notable high school athlete in the history of the medium — until the next phenom, at least.
This past summer he even took his act on the road, appearing at an annual tournament at South Jamaica’s IS 8.
From what I’ve seen of him and, admittedly, I have only seen him on TV, he certainly looks the part of a superstar in the making. Physically, he seems more talented than any player I have ever seen on the high school level and I have seen a bunch. From future NBA players such as Ron Artest and Rafer Alston, James stands above all.
He does things NBA players cannot do. His instincts for the game are as sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel and I mean, boy, the kid can jump clear out of the building.
But that’s nothing new. Everyone who has seen him play knows that. It’s as obvious as the wood floor of the court his playing on.
Only slightly less obvious was the fact that James broke the rules of the Ohio High School Athletic Association, which state that any amateur athlete cannot benefit in the form of gifts or money from their athletic ability.
So, it came as a surprise to virtually no one that James was ruled ineligible to play for the remainder of the season. What is a surprise is that the OHSAA waited so terminally long to make its decision.
There have been numerous pieces on James in the national media over the past week, including his banishment from the No. 1-ranked high school team in the country becoming the lead story on ESPN’s SportsCenter.
The reason the OHSAA finally decided to rule James ineligible? He accepted two throwback jerseys from a sporting goods store in return for posing for a few pictures. The two jerseys were reportedly valued at less than $900.
Laughable, really.
This is a kid who is driving around in a $50,000 Hummer, a present from his mother, Gloria, who purchased the automobile with funds procured from a legitimate bank loan. A mom buying her son a car is not an offense in the eyes of the OHSAA, nor should it be. But when she gets a loan for more money than the average person makes annually, I think it is a safe bet she only got the loan because of who her son is.
Oh, but she took out the loan, not James, so he could not be ruled ineligible. Please.
There are plenty of people out there, journalists, who know more about James’ situation and have seen these rules bent and broken up close. But even I, a guy who has never met James, never seen him play in person, could spot the violations from my seat here in Queens.
What I find truly hilarious is that James and his attorneys are expected to fight the ruling so he can rejoin his team for the remainder of the season. In its first game since his benching, St. Vincent-St. Mary barely defeated Canton McKinley, 63-62.
I can understand why his teammates, the coaches, the school, the fans, even the OHSAA would want James on the court, but why would James?
It is clear that James has not maintained his amateur status per the OHSAA rules, so unless everyone is willing to turn a blind eye for the rest of the year, James should do the entire sports world a favor, accept his punishment and collect the millions of dollars waiting for him whenever he decides it is time.
James may feel an obligation to his teammates, the fans, heck, everyone involved with St. Vincent-St. Mary, but that feeling of loyalty did not stop him from bending and breaking the rules. It is time for him to move on and save all those he cares about and amateur athletics as a whole the embarrassment of continuing this facade one more day.
If he is allowed to play, it will only enforce the widely held belief that the playing field of the real world is different for someone who can play a sport. James’ ability to dunk a basketball does not make him above the rules. In fact, it is because of players so talented that the rule exists.
I don’t know James and, in all likelihood, will probably never get to know him. If I ever do speak to him, it will likely be in the context of a press conference when he and whatever NBA team he eventually signs with comes to New York. So I can’t pass judgment on the kid as a person.
From what I have seen, he seems like any other high school kid, just better at basketball. That may make him rich and famous, but it doesn’t change anything else.
Maybe someday James will look back on all this hoopla and realize that he was not in the right. But to blame anyone else for his high school basketball banishment is truly wrong.
Just cash in your lottery ticket, LeBron, and move on.
Reach Sports Editor Anthony Bosco by e-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com or call 1-718-229-0300, Ext. 130.
