Rarely does an athlete infiltrate every realm of the media and stir up such passion in a nation as LeBron James did in the past few weeks, and journalist J.R. Moehringer was one of the select few that was given a front row seat to the events that unfolded. Refuting what people originally thought to be LeBron’s narcissistic exploitation, Moehringer suggests that there’s more to King James than meets the eye, and his recent actions were not motivated by arrogance, but by an own personal fear of being alone. ‘Three Weeks in Crazyville’ is J.R. Moehringer’s article for the September issue of GQ, hitting newsstands August 24th. It chronicles the roller coaster ride of the summer, and gives us a more intimate look at the man behind it all, formally known as Mr. LeBron James.
The son of a single mother, James grew up quite familiar with loneliness. In the projects of Akron, Ohio, he began playing ball with his high school buddies and formed a championship winning team. Guided by his passion for the sport, and by coaches that acted as surrogate fathers, LeBron went straight to the NBA as the best high school player every seen. And for the past seven years, he anxiously waited on the Cleveland Cavaliers for his fairytale ending: a championship ring. But the plot has thickened, and LeBron has virtually surpassed Tiger Woods as the most controversial athlete of our days. What will happen from here– can LeBron stand the Heat?
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LeBron James on how those close to him view his decision: “They’re happy to see me happy. That’s what they can see in my face. They say: ‘It’s been a while since we’ve seen you look like that.’ ”
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On how growing
