Poor LeBron James.
It seems that people recognize the NBA star with the multi-million dollar contract and $100 million in endorsement fees when he is in public.
He has no privacy. He sits in his hotel room when he’s on the road.
Boo hoo.
“There is no reason why myself shouldn’t have a personal life and privacy just like you all have privacy,” James tells AOL Black Voices.
“I’m going to do what I have to do every day. It’s not that I’m keeping my personal life inside a box or nothing like that. There is just no need to talk about that.”
The 6-foot-8, 240-pounder averaged 27.2 points in his second season and became an NBA all-star, and he is expected to be voted in as a starting Eastern Conference forward in the 2006 NBA All-Star game in Houston next month.
But the bright spotlight doesn’t leave him once he leaves the arena. If he goes to the mall, within 10-15 minutes word usually gets around that “King James” is there. Soon after, James is usually surrounded. In an instant, security is needed to take control. On the road, word is most of his free time is usually spent in his hotel room.
“They don’t leave me alone anywhere,” James said. “But that doesn’t stop me from going out. I like people so I don’t have a problem with going out and having people come up to me and ask me for my autograph.”
Welcome to stardom, LeBron.
You’re no different than a movie star, a rock singer or Flava Flav.
If you need an example of how to be a star, ask Charles Barkley. He never stopped his life for anyone. He didn’t sit alone in hotel rooms. He got into some trouble defending himself, but he always said he refused to change his life.
As the saying goes, “It’s good to the be the king.” But LeBron is learning that the throne is not always comfortable and the crown does indeed occasionally have thorns.
