LeBron James may be going back home to Cleveland, but he does so as a cheating husband coming back to his first wife.
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That's the sentiment of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the Los Angeles Lakers Hall of Fame center, in an essay he wrote for Time, talking about the Miami Heat free agent's decision to return to his first employer, the Cleveland Cavaliers.
In his essay, Abdul-Jabbar takes a page out of the Thomas Wolfe novel in describing James' situation as "You can't go home again."
"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," Abdul-Jabbar explains. "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."
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So it is with the return of James that Cavaliers fans will welcome him back with cautious arms, Abdul-Jabbar says.
And while James' second decision was viewed as much more tactful than his first, count Abdul-Jabbar among those not fully supportive of his latest free agency process.
"When LeBron left Cleveland he celebrated it as the Exodus from Egypt and enslavement, and that arrogance left a bitter taste in his fans' mouths. It was like showing up at a party with his new girlfriend when he knew his ex would be there. Tacky. Even his return to Cleveland might have been seen as more from the heart, as he states in his essay, if it had just been announced as a fait accompli instead of the press and fans waiting in anticipation for the word to come down from the mountain inscribed on tablets."
Kareem revealed that as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks, he became homesick for his native New York.
"After playing with the Milwaukee Bucks for a few years at the beginning of my career, I had a longing to return to New York City. Oscar "The Big 'O'" Robertson had retired, and without him we had come in last, with no significant draft picks and little hope of turning things around the next year. I didn't go to the press to negotiate for more money or a better deal. I went to the owner and we had an amiable chat. We shook hands and kept it between ourselves so the team could make the best deal for them and me because we each felt loyalty to the other."
Abdul-Jabbar never made it back home, settling instead on going to his second home, Los Angeles, where he played his college ball.
It's his experience that makes him critical of James' process.
Do you agree with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's assessment that LeBron James' return to the Cavaliers is more akin to a cheating spouse returning than a prodigal son returning? Comment below or tell us @SportsWN.
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