Like Mike? How Lebron Could Transcend Him

More than two decades after Mars Blackmon hustled America into buying Air Jordans and the "Be Like Mike" jingle had us reaching for the Gatorade, the model for how to turn a gifted basketball player into a worldwide icon remains largely unchanged. LeBron James, the latest and most worthy heir to Michael Jordan's throne, is trying to be like Mike. Some very smart people think that's a huge mistake.

Though Kobe Bryant's hang-gliding game has born the closest resemblance to Jordan's on the court, Bryant never fully captured the imagination as a marketer, spokesman or pitchman. So the vacuum left by Jordan, the first international basketball icon, has yet to be filled. James intends to fill it.

But how?

"I think it's really unfair to compare people to Michael," said David Falk, the super-agent who created the Air Jordan paradigm that James is trying to replicate. "There'll never be another Michael."

No, there won't. And there will never be anyone better as long as the next challenger falls into the same trap of trying to imitate Jordan instead of trying to surpass him.

In sheer dollars and market share, LeBron's off-court accomplishments through the first six seasons of his NBA career are "staggering," said Paul Swangard, director of the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the University of Oregon. 60 Minutes, in a profile of James on Sunday night, placed his annual income from basketball and other sources at $40 million last year. The Harvard Business School said James is now the third-biggest name in the sports world behind Tiger Woods and David Beckham.

"I think the challenge for LeBron is to do what Michael did 25 years ago -- to raise the bar, to create a new paradigm, a different way of looking at how an athlete is marketed," Falk said. "That's what he needs to take advantage of. He's got to create his own comparison. He's got to do it differently."

How?

"I get paid a lot of money to answer that question," Falk said.

Since he didn't attend college, James, 24, is two years younger than Jordan was at this stage of his career. Jordan won his first NBA championship in his seventh season, a mark that James could eclipse in a couple of months with the Cavaliers, who are vying with the Lakers for the best record in the NBA. Due to inflation and the economic expansion of the NBA -- in which Jordan was complicit if not primarily responsible -- the dollars are incomparable. Jordan's basketball salary in his sixth NBA season was about $2.3 million. James is paid $14.4 million this season, which is nearly $5 million more than the entire NBA salary cap in 1989-90, Jordan's sixth season.

Jordan's first endorsement deal with Nike was for $2.5 million over five years, plus royalties. James, riding those coattails, signed a seven-year, $90 million contract with Nike - when he was still in high school.

With his engaging smile, the swoosh on his shoes, the No. 23 on his jersey, and the deep voice and speech patterns -- listen to James talk about "the game of basketball" with your eyes closed, and you'd swear it's Jordan talking -- he has modeled himself after the master. If he's happy spending his entire basketball career being "the next Michael," then James would only need to keep doing what he's doing. No need to take risks or try anything different. The problem with trying to separate yourself from the best, of course, is that you might fail.

"Well, you know, I suppose averaging 35 points a game and being defensive player of the year and the MVP is probably a start," said Lakers coach Phil Jackson, who coached Jordan to six championships with the Bulls -- or was it the other way around? "But winning seven championships will probably be the one that'll make a difference between what Michael did in his career and some other player."

And off the court?

"Maybe changing sports and being MVP in baseball," Jackson said, "something Michael couldn't do."

He doesn't have to do anything that drastic, but if he wants to eclipse Jordan, LeBron is going to have to take chances.

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Around the NBA: Cavaliers with 12th in a row, reach 60 victories

LeBron James had 24 points and 12 assists as the Cleveland Cavaliers extending their winning streak to a franchise record 12 with a 102-74 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.

The victory improved the Cavaliers' franchise-record victory total to 60 with nine games remaining. They stretched their lead to two games over the Los Angeles Lakers in the race for home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.

The Cavaliers trailed 35-20 in the first quarter and 49-47 at halftime. But Cleveland outscored Dallas 30-11 in the third quarter and 55-25 in the second half to improve to a league-best 35-1 at home.

Hornets 90, Spurs 86: Chris Paul hit three clutch free throws with 7.1 seconds left, as host New Orleans pulled out the victory and moved into a tie for sixth with Utah in the Western Conference. The Spurs' lead over Houston and Denver for second place was trimmed to a half-game.

Hawks 86, Lakers 76: Mike Bibby scored 21 points — including a three-pointer off the top of the backboard — and host Atlanta took advantage of a tough outing for Kobe Bryant and held Los Angeles to its lowest-scoring game of the season.

Bryant, who missed a morning meal and film session because he wasn't feeling well, had 17 points on 7-of-19 shooting.

Kings 126, Suns 118: Phoenix's playoff hopes took a hit as it lost to the worst team in
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the league, blowing a chance to move a game closer to eighth-place Dallas.

The Suns went 0-3 on this trip and have lost eight of their past nine away from home. The Suns have eight games remaining, including four of their final six on the road.

Pistons 101, 76ers 97: Allen Iverson returned after missing 16 games because of a back injury and scored eight points in 21 minutes of Detroit's victory. After the game, he acknowledged being hurt by media reports that he might not play again this season.

"The one thing that everyone has always known about me is that I'm a warrior. The doctors would say I'd be out two to four weeks, and I'd come back in a week," he said. "So now I have an injury I've never had before — one that was bothering me — and people are suddenly questioning my courage. That was hard, but I know positive stories don't sell.

"If you can come up with a negative story about Allen Iverson, it will sell, so that's what people rolled with."

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