Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: LeBron Is a Hero for Our Time
In Paul Simon's "The Boy in the Bubble," he sings, "It's every generation throws a hero up the pop charts." It's both an observation and a lament about how each generational changing of the guard demands its own unique voice, coded language and defiant look. That need to rebelliously announce and define what's news and cool while scornfully denouncing what's old and uncool is as true in laundry detergents (New and Improved!) as it is in music, literature, politics—and sports.
Every age needs ageless heroes. But it's important that we closely study our culture's most prominent heroes because they reflect the trending values we are being asked to embrace while pointing to the future those values will lead us to. This generation's most prominent basketball hero is LeBron James, and he clearly represents a bold new language.
LeBron isn't the shiny new penny of sports. At 34, he's no perky teen idol or sassy YouTube "influencer." He's a 16-year veteran of the NBA who's played for the Cleveland Cavaliers (twice), the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers. He's a husband, a dad, and, though he's playing with the intensity of a man in the prime of his athletic and intellectual prowess, he's not too many years from doing ads for
