That night took place the traditional ESPYS Awards which reward the best sportsmen and the best sportswomen of the year, and LeBron James received the “Best Record-Breaking Performance” award for breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s points record. It was his wife, Savannah, and their three children, Bronny, Bryce and Zhuri, who invited him to take the stage.
The opportunity for the Lakers superstar to deliver one of the most important speeches of his career. A speech that allowed him to confirm that he was continuing his career.
The passion for sport as a driving force
“Tonight, I want to take this moment to say something that I’ve said a million times before and will never tire of repeating: I love this sport. I like basketball “, said LeBron . “There’s a video going around the internet right now of me coaching Bryce’s team last weekend and it’s pretty funny. I’ve seen a lot of posts from people saying, ‘LeBron brings energy to a high school AAU game the same way he would a Finals game. To me, that’s the ultimate compliment. I have been in the sport for 20 years and all the years before that I have never, ever cheated with the sport and I will never take it for granted. »
In the presence of his former teammates Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, James insisted on this last aspect. For him, it is essential, in the eyes of the fans, but also of his teammates, never to cheat.
“Every time I step onto the pitch, whether it’s training my boys or playing, I want to give it my all. I do it for me. I do it for some of my past and present teammates. And I do it for all the great players who came before me. And more importantly, I’m doing it for the fans, the lovers of the game. The real question for me is, “Can I play this sport without cheating?” “The day when I can no longer give everything on the floor, I will be finished. Lucky for you, that day is not today. »
“I wondered if I could still play without cheating, if I could still give my all to sport. The truth is that I have been asking myself this question at the end of each season for a few years.
LeBron James will therefore become the 6th player to start a 21st season in the NBA at the start of the school year. Before him, only Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Garnett, Robert Parish, Kevin Willis and Vince Carter had succeeded. The record stands at 22…
“I know some of you hate me, but the one thing you will always do is respect me and appreciate the way I approach the game and what I gave to this game” he continues before evoking these statements after the elimination against the Nuggets. “When the season ended, I said I wasn’t sure if I would continue playing. I know many experts shared with you what I said, but I am here now to speak for myself. At that time, I wondered if I could still play without cheating, if I could still give my all to sport. The truth is that I have been asking myself this question at the end of every season for a few years. But I had never talked about it openly.
The good news is that LeBron is back and seeing that his two boys have chosen the same path and the same attitude as their dad.
“They follow their own basketball journey and no matter how far they choose to go, they don’t cheat with the game. And that inspires me,” he concludes. “You know what keeps me coming back every year? It’s watching and training my boys and their teammates. I see these kids and it brings me back to why I play. These children bring me back to where I need to be, which is to say in the pure love of this beautiful sport. So yes, I have something left. Many things. I love you all and thank you for following this journey so far. »
