All Things NBA: Taming the Hype

Hype.  Hype is a small word with large implications. Hype is a word that converts athletes into icons, forces a teammate to become an individual, and transforms a person of public interest into a national fixation.   The challenge is whether the athlete can live up to the hype without wilting under the pressure. Hype can easily compromise an athlete’s soul, turning him from a once promising prospect to a selfish flash in the pan type player.   Basketball phenom Lebron James has been caught in the hype storm since his freshman year of high school. And since then the hype has continually been building.   By the end of his junior year in high school, the [then] 17-year-old James had already graced the covers of both Sports Illustrated and ESPN magazine. The national intrigue surrounding James was so enormous that ESPN2 aired several of his high school basketball games. He was such a dominant player that the media dubbed him, “King James,” and “The Chosen ... [link]