Lebron James: Ringless no more

make no mistake about it: i am still not a lebron james fan.
he was all-hype when he entered the nba in 2003. he was a special athlete, with a body made for basketball and moves that would surely scare the hell out of every opponent.
he transformed the cleveland cavaliers franchise, even leading it to the nba finals in 2007 but was swept by the san antonio spurs. some say he was too young, that his time would come, that the king will definitely have a ring in the future.
he was dominant in both ends of the floor, winning most valuable player in 2009 and 2010 but often fell short in the playoffs. maybe he didn't have enough support, maybe his team mates did not deliver, or maybe he was not yet ready.
he took his talents to south beach to join forces with dwayne wade and chris bosh in 2011. his new team even had a celebration to mark the entry of the king, a celebration that ended up premature as they lost in the finals to the resilient dallas mavericks.
he started the 2012 season eager to win. the heat were silent yet dominant in the league, yet haters abound and their noise just got louder. he was often castigated for controlling the game for three quarters only to disappear in the fourth. and when playoffs came, no one really paid the same hype as the heat did in the previous year.

but perhaps lebron james learned his lesson.
he stepped up when it mattered the most.
the miami-boston series showed his maturity, his coming of age, his readiness to finally claim what he has been chasing for the past nine seasons.
they might have lost the first game of the series against the oklahoma city thunder, but just like a soldier, he just kept fighting.
and all the fighting paid dividends in game 5 as they closed out their opponents at home to finally claim his first nba championship.
it could be the first of many.

he promised "not just one, not two, not three, not four, not five, not six, not seven titles."
we would have to wait until the next few seasons to see if he truly lives up to his promise.
but for now, he deserves to celebrate.
he deserves to enjoy the fruits of his labor.
he deserves to savor what he has worked for throughout his career.
he deserves to be ringless no more.

congratulations lebron james and the miami heat for winning the 2012 nba championship!