It's just not right. Four months from now LeBron James will hit the dance floor at his senior prom. Soon after that he will undoubtedly sign a multi-million dollar shoe contract with either Nike or Adidas. And next fall he will be lacing up those sneakers against Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady and several other NBA players who would like nothing more than a shot at this phenom. So much will change.
Yet, James will be 18 years old and still just a kid.
Perhaps nobody in the history of sports has been hyped this much except Tiger Woods. However, Woods had already competed in a PGA Tour event at the age of 16. He also played two years in college. So did Allen Iverson, Chris Webber and Jason Kidd. Even Michael Jordan played three years.
It is not a talent issue. It's a maturing process.
Look at Kevin Garnett, Bryant and McGrady. All were phenomenal athletes that skipped college, and each player took time to develop into the all-stars they are today.
Meanwhile, James, already designated as \The Chosen One"" by ""Sports Illustrated,"" is set up for failure. Don't forget about those hyped superstars that took a wrong turn. Think about Stanley Roberts, Felipe Lopez and so many others that surrounded themselves with the wrong people.
On Friday, James' maturation process might have been accelerated, for better or worse. The 6'7' senior was declared ineligible by the Ohio High School Athletic Association for the remainder of his high school career for accepting two ""throwback"" sports jerseys, together worth $845, from a clothing store.
According to the latest reports, he has a closet full of sports jerseys and jackets, not to mention what he already has displayed, mainly the gold jewelry, diamond studs and Armani look-a-like suits. And, of course, the $50,000 decked-out H2 Hummer with three televisions inside. If James was really into accepting free merchandise he could do better than a red, white and blue Wes Unseld jersey.
James has apologized for accepting the jerseys, which reportedly were in exchange for a photograph with the store owner. Yet, the eyes and ears, cameras and reporters are waiting for James to make a wrong move. And they won't go away.
""If I had known I was violating anything, I would've never done it,"" James said Monday morning on CBS' 'The Early Show.' ""I would've never jeopardized my eligibility. I would've never jeopardized my team.""
James, who maintains a 3.5 G.P.A., thought the store was rewarding him for his schoolwork.
Maybe college isn't such a bad idea after all.
Think back to your senior year in high school. Did you know what your career plans were? LeBron James does, and although he'll be an instant millionaire, every move he makes is carefully examined and critiqued, and will be for the rest of his basketball career.
Again, he's only 18. He doesn't have a paper route or part-time job at the local car wash. James is a basketball player. He may not be ready to embark on his journey into manhood. But like it or not, it is about to begin.
Bling-bling LeBron. Choose carefully.
