Why all the Hype for Lebron???

Lebron James is 18 years old and is about to graduate from a high school in Ohio. What sets him apart from his classmates is the fact that he is going to be the #1 pick in June's NBA Draft. He has been the most publicized high school athlete in history. He will be picked by his own state's team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and is set to make millions of dollars in the league. Not only that but he has already been signed by Nike to endorse their products with a contract worth over $90 million dollars.

This contract will pay Lebron more money than his first NBA contract. This is way too much to pay someone who hasn't even stepped on to the NBA level to endorse your products. The excuses that have been given range from he's going to sell out arenas, he relates to the crowd more, and that he is the next big thing. I'm very upset at the publicity given to this teenager and it has nothing to do with the fact that he is younger than me. First off, there have been comparisons to Magic Johnson by the commentators about the way Lebron plays. To this I say that first Lebron's competition is high schoolers who are increadibly easy to fake out while Magic did this against the pros. Also Magic played at both ends all the time. The 2 times I saw Lebron on ESPN he was almost always near half court on defense, waiting for the ball to be either made and inbounded or missed and rebounded so that he would be open for highlight dunks. This behavior is very Ricky Davis in my opinion, not Magic Johnson.

The fact that he will sell out arenas is a remark that is highly overrated. Lebron may sell out in Cleveland but I doubt he will be the reason places sell out. Sure I won't deny that attendance won't rise with the curiousity of how he plays but he won't sell out everywhere and will have less chances to sell out once he gets flattened on his ass by the true players of the league like Kobe, AI and TMAC. I wouldn't go to an NBA game to see a high school player play but I can't talk for everyone. In regards to Lebron relating more to the NBA crowds thus making a better endorser for products is misguided. Yeah sure he may relate more to the crowds because he was once one of them but I would rather buy a product endorsed by a more established superstar like a Kobe or an AI. However not everyone is as smart as I am and follow trends and I'm afraid that the media is trying to turn Lebron into the next big thing and market him for trends. The Next MJ is already in the league and his name is Kobe Bryant. Kobe is only 24 and has 3 rings. Yet the media is trying to continue the cycle of the next MJ with Lebron. However unlike his predecessors, namely Grant Hill, Harold Miner and Penny Hardaway, Kobe has stayed away from injuries and has won. His game is like Jordan's, his competitiveness is only matched by MJ's and has a very friendly persona for marketing. Yet the media is starting the cycle again. I believe that this has to do with the fact that Kobe is just like MJ but has the potential to be more than him and that has the NBA scared. Mind this is just a conspiracy theory but with all this going on it has a grain of truth to say the least because there seems to be an acceptance to Kobe-hate, which I find just senseless. Lebron may be good but he is not MJ, and not even Kobe. Peace.