The life of LeBron James sometimes feels like a movie in the making. While his story moves from one scene to the next, the words across his Twitter page read, "I promise to never forget where I came from."
LeBron has traveled a long way from where he started. After Friday's Game 6 win, The Chosen One's voice cracked ever so slightly when reporter Doris Burke asked him, as he was set to embark on his sixth straight NBA Finals, of what is he most proud?
He did not answer the question directly but, with emotion, expressed his appreciation for past and present opportunities.
That got me thinking, what exactly made LeBron so emotional in that moment?
By now, almost everyone knows LeBron's story. He grew up in Akron; born to a teenaged single mother that struggled to provide for her son.
Through his work ethic, LeBron has shown that his drive did not stop when the money and fame arrived. If anything, it intensified.
This week I spoke to one of his longtime friends, Sian Cotton. He told me LeBron knows how bad the city wants this championship. He added LeBron, an Akron native, understands that everyone expects this region to come up short. His pursuit of the Larry O’Brien trophy is, in part, about LeBron's relationship with and pride for Northeast Ohio.
LeBron's story is better than one a Hollywood producer could create. That is because the greatest stories are not fabricated by filmmakers but are actually lived by real people.
For LeBron, the nature of his journey has evoked emotion not only because he has a chance to continue pursuing a dream that many believe could only happen on the silver screen but also because he remembers where he came from and knows where his future might be headed.
LeBron started off as an underprivileged child. Then he became the future. When he left for Miami he was a villain. Now he's the King again. As he heads to the NBA Finals, LeBron knows if he gets a championship, he'll forever be a hero.
