I don’t want this year’s free agency to be a circus. I chuckled when I read this report on Twitter the other day.
Apparently that’s the sentiment being issued by LeBron James’ “camp” – constructed primarily by friends that have been by his side since his days at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School.
The reality is that LeBron’s free agency is always a circus. Always has been and always will be. I think we all remember how it started in the summer of 2010 when he chose Miami.
Four years later, LeBron returned to Cleveland and now finds himself in the midst of another important decision. Choose winning or choose what his family wants? Maybe he can have both?
Truth is, LeBron is a calculated man. Each move he makes is discussed intently with his public relations team. Below we’ll dive into each PR strategy, how they differ in their approach and the PR lessons learned.
Decision 1.0 – LeBron’s TV Special
“Taking my talents to South Beach.” Not good. With six words, LeBron went from stardom to trash in the eyes of many. Miami Heat fans fell in love with him. Everyone else vilified him. Remember December 2010 when the three-time MVP returned to Cleveland for the first time? Quicken Loans Arena was filled with so much anger that people were legitimately concerned for his well-being.
Here’s why…LeBron was the biggest free agent in the history of the NBA. In 2010, he was coming off a MVP season and had every team with cap space begging for his services. He was Cleveland Cavaliers royalty. At that time, the city of Cleveland hadn’t seen a championship in more than 50 years.
After meeting with six finalists, James was approached by ESPN to do a TV special entitled “The Decision.” Proceeds from the hour-long special would go to the Boys and Girls Club – a foundation that LeBron proudly supports. We all know what happened next. LeBron chose Miami and perhaps the greatest trio in league history was formed.
This turned out to be one awful PR decision. Yes, money was raised for a terrific foundation and LeBron simply exercised his right to choose his destination – a place that would make him happy and help him win.
But that didn’t matter. Perception is reality and this phrase is everything in PR.
Here’s how the world saw this decision. Cleveland is a struggling city (historically industrial and hardworking) and the one bit of hope they have is to watch and be mesmerized by their local hero. Instead, James chose Miami (beaches, tans, fickle fans, Sobe, beach bars, yachts). For weeks, Cavaliers fans bit their fingernails – hoping and praying – that James would stay in Cleveland to try to win a title for his “hometown.” He dragged them through the mud and that didn’t sit well with Cavs fans or the media.
Does Miami struggle? You bet – lots of homelessness, hardworking people and plenty of poor neighborhoods. Does Miami have real fans? Yes, a ton of real diehard fans that stick by their teams. However, that’s not the perception and James’ “decision” to play this out on national television turned out to be one of the biggest PR disasters in sports history. He lost control of the narrative – something he’d learn to be quite important.
Decision 2.0 – I’m Coming Home
Sheer brilliance. Everyone wondered how LeBron would handle his second decision after the disaster in 2010.
Here we are in 2014 and James is now a two-time NBA champion. The narrative that the King can’t win a title, doesn’t come through in the clutch and is a poor shooter has now gone out the window. He’s proved to be all of those things and much more. People started to hate him less – even in Cleveland – because winning and time passed cures all.
Noise began in late June 2014 that LeBron might actually be considering a return to Cleveland. Most thought there’s no way that’s happening. After all, this is the city that vilified him, burned his jersey and who can possibly forget the famous letter written in Comic Sans by team owner, Dan Gilbert?
On July 11, 2014, King James announced his return to Cleveland in a letter (as told to Lee Jenkins of Sports Illustrated). It began with “before anyone ever cared where I would play basketball, I was a kid from Northeast Ohio.” Throughout the piece, LeBron told his story uninterrupted – his reasons for returning, forgiveness of the fans and owner and belief that his destiny is to bring one title to Northeast Ohio. LeBron controlled the narrative and nobody could fault him for deciding to return to his home.
Cleveland isn’t his home. He’s from Akron – about 45 miles south. Miami was getting old and James saw his title window dwindling. Since LBJ’s departure in 2010, Cleveland had three number one overall picks and he knew they were in the process of trading for Kevin Love. Cleveland gave him a better shot at winning. That doesn’t matter. What matters is perception and LeBron was brilliant at making sure his story was told the way he wanted it to be heard. This was a case study for PR success.
Decision 3.0 – L.A., Cleveland, Philly?
Here we are in 2018 and the greatest player in NBA history (yes, I said it) has another important decision on his hands. Golden State has achieved league dominance and LeBron has to find a way to overcome. It would appear that his chances to win again in Cleveland are small. In many people’s eyes, he’s earned the right to do what he wants to do.
To this point, we haven’t heard his thoughts – just those being leaked strategically to the media. Did he text Kevin Durant? What about Kawhi? What we do know is that he is once again a free agent and it’s already a circus.
Again, LeBron is obsessed with controlling the narrative and public perception will play a huge role in where he takes his talents next. His family wants L.A. (we think). He wants to win (this we know). Will be fascinating to see the PR strategy used and how this one plays out through the media.
Your move, LBJ. We’ll all be watching…and critiquing.
