LeBron bridges life-long father-son memories

Apr 4, 2018

One of the special memories I have of my dad was when we went to see the high school version of LeBron James play at Beeghly Center against George Junior Republic in 2002, right around the time of the memorable “Chosen One” Sports Illustrated cover.

Well, 16 years later I took my 10 year-old son to his first Cavs game, which was also his first opportunity to see perhaps the greatest basketball player in our respective lifetimes play in-person.

You can say LeBron served as a bridge between two life-long, father-son memories for me. And he certainly didn’t disappoint either time – which, in many respects is quite remarkable. And inspiring.

Think about it for a minute. More than 1,100 games, $200 million (in basketball alone) in earnings and 30,000 career points later, he’s still able to wow and impress a dad and his kid sitting high up in the rafters on a random Monday night game at the end of his 15th NBA regular season.

That’s an impressive dedication to his craft. A noteworthy display of professionalism. And a keen awareness of the importance of bringing his A-game each and every time he takes the court.

We should all be so focused on the task at hand in our daily lives and in the office. Whatever we’re working on in any given moment should be the most important thing we can be doing at that specific time. You never who’s paying attention. Just think how productive we’d be; and how successful the results would be.

With LeBron, I wonder what motivates him to perform at that level each and every game. I can’t imagine he considers there might be someone in the arena that night who showed up expressly to see him play in-person for the first time; or there’s a father there sharing a special moment with his son.

But whatever it is, as a fan… as a father… and as a businessman, I can certainly appreciate it.

Wherever LeBron takes his talents next, I’ll always be a fan. And I’ll always fondly remember who was there sitting next to me when I saw him play.

Thanks, LeBron.