The Case for Being a Fan

Even though the players are the NBA's power brokers, the name on the front of the jersey should still matter to fans.

When LeBron James decided to take his talents to South Beach, the ramifications for the NBA went beyond the formation of a new super team.

His decision as the top dog in the NBA to leave the city he was drafted by wasn’t unprecedented, and other superstars had moved cities to play together. But LeBron transcended free agency. He created the best possible situation for himself out of thin air, bringing Bosh along to team up with someone who was nearly his equal in Wade. He even took a pay cut to do it — they all did.

But at the end of the four-year run, rather than try to reload or run it back, he made a second decision, to go back home and bring a championship to his hometown.

He delivered, miraculously, and contended every year he was there. Once again, he created a new perfect situation for himself, essentially dictating to the Cavaliers organization who to pick up, who would eventually coach him, and who to replace as needed.

LeBron left nothing up to chance, he had already done that for the first seven years of his career, and the Cavs organization failed him mightily. He was loyal to them and loyal to the teammates he carried night in and night out. He made it to one Finals and was bounced by Tim Duncan and then failed to return thanks to the Big Three in Boston and a one-year run by Dwight Howard.

So LeBron took matters into his own hands. He endured the hatred from former fans and critics and his old front office. In return, he managed to prevent his career from wallowing in longsuffering disappointment. LeBron did the right thing for LeBron, and he eventually made things right with the Cavs. And now he is doing the same thing to the Lakers.

Whether he goes 3 for 3 in perfect situations remains to be seen. A lot will ride on the Anthony Davis deal. Other than that, his move to Los Angeles is textbook LeBron. It is a pragmatic move that could only boost his considerable legend and can’t hurt him even if it ends in total disaster.

His movement has allowed other stars to do the same. Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, Paul George, Jimmy Butler, Kawhi Leonard— all owe LeBron a debt of gratitude. He gave them, as elite players, the blueprint for having the best possible career—one where they don’t have to wait for success to materialize beside them. Like with the rise of the three-pointer, NBA players have finally realized that with contracts, it’s better to take intelligent shots than traditional ones.

But in the wake of pure player empowerment, the franchise's power has taken a severe hit. LeBron played more games as a Cav and won more championships with the Heat, and yet, seeing him in the Purple and Gold, looks… normal? Obvious even.

The same is true with Kevin Durant in a Warriors Uniform or Jimmy Butler in a Sixers jersey. Maybe not Blake Griffin as a Piston — but for the most part, it doesn’t feel as weird as Jordan wearing 45 did. Or Karl Malone in L.A., or Steve Nash in L.A., or Kobe wearing a Celtics practice jersey from his draft workout.

Players have largely been separated from their cities. If you’re an NBA fan today, you might love LeBron and KD. Or Steph and Chris Paul. Or all four.

I never really thought about it that way growing up as a Lakers fan. Kobe was my favorite player, easily, but that’s because he was a Laker first and foremost. I watched him to see the Lakers win — to see us win.

If you’re a fan of a team, then you invariably refer to “them” as “us.” It’s ridiculous on its face to think of a sports team as part of your identity for no better reason than you watch them regularly on tv, but that's what makes being a fan so real. People who don’t care about sports largely do so cause they don’t understand what it means to be invested in watching other people play a game. They don’t get “us.”

That’s where the passion comes from. Buried in the places you don’t talk about at parties, a team represents you somehow. Entire cities can take on the personality of a franchise, win or lose. We become our teams. The Lakers were Showtime because that’s what Los Angeles was — flashy, young, exciting. The Pistons were the Bad Boys because they beat you with intimidation and blue-collar work ethic suited to the Rust Belt. The Grizzlies were Grit and Grind, an uncompromising, repetitive, slow style of play that was always doomed to failure but somehow embodied the South. Memphis fans loved it; at this point, they probably pine for it.

There are plenty of reasons to support the players. For one, teams, especially the good ones, are famously un-loyal to their own, especially the injured or elderly. Also, teams that are poorly managed or improperly run are likely to stay that way. How could you blame AD for leaving when the best they could ever put around him are a few overpaid role players. LeBron had it even worse in his first run with Cleveland. None of those guys would ever start again for a team that mattered. In the old system, LeBron might never sniff a championship outside of a few extraordinary seasons.

We should applaud the players for taking fate into their hands and giving us, the fans, an opportunity to see the best players actually compete for a chip. In a society that values being the best above all else, anything less is frankly a huge disappointment. But that’s the difference between being a fan of basketball and being a fan of a team. Losing is part of what makes it great.

Reggie Miller had entire documentaries made about the one time he had a good playoff run. The Knicks have built a cottage industry around the five okay players they ever had and Spike Lee. Just because you aren’t winning doesn’t mean your team is dead. In fact, it’s the only thing that makes victory sweet.

At least that’s the dream. The Cubs went over a century waiting for that moment, and many generations of fans never got to see it finally arrive. Knicks fans are not so much hopeful as they are pot committed. But in their hard hearts, you know there’s still something that makes them tune in every night.

The Lakers haven’t been in contention for nearly a decade at this point. I’ve watched some of the worst basketball in my life in that period. I’ve also watched every playoff run and every finals game while we weren’t competing. I enjoyed the Heat beating the Spurs and then the Spurs turning back around and beating them. I liked watching Dirk steal one and seeing the Warriors go from being Mark Jackson’s scrappy team into the powerhouse they are today. I love watching Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Giannis A., Joel Embiid, Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard, Luka Doncic, hell, even James Harden on some nights. But I also watched just as much of Chris Kaman, Rob Sacre, Carlos Boozer, Xavier Henry, and Nick Young in that same period. It was never good, but I still ultimately cared more about the Lakers eeking out a win over the Suns than whoever was in the playoffs that year.

I get rooting for players over teams. I did it for years as an NFL fan in L.A. and felt pretty much satisfied except for all the years the Patriots won. But as soon as the Rams came back, I went in on it. And it’s been the best three, well, okay two, seasons of football I’ve ever had. It’s not at the level it is with the Lakers. That kind of thing takes time. In some ways losing the Superbowl is the best thing that could have happened. Now we have a story. Now we have something to overcome. Something to root for. And even if it doesn't come right away, that’s okay. Being a fan isn’t about watching when the watching is good it’s about caring about what happens every game.

The word fan comes from the word fanatic, and that’s exactly what it’s about. Obsession, fanaticism, identity. It’s the best feeling in the world to be a part of a team. You can’t fake it. I’ve been to random sporting events, minor league baseball games, MLS, Anaheim ducks. I even dabbled in NASCAR. But when you ultimately don’t care about the people you’re watching beyond the game or season you’re watching, then it’s just entertainment.

I’m happy for the players. I want LeBron to usher in a new era of success, on his terms and hopefully for the Lakers long term. I get that the Lakers want to surround him with the best talent now. But I watched Ingram, Kuzma, and Ball. I was looking forward to building that team and seeing if that would lead to something good. Just feeling like we were building toward something that felt good — that all the bad years were worth it. Because I’m a Lakers fan, and those guys are Lakers—one of us.

LeBron passed on them, though. His window is closing, and he knows it. He can’t wait to see what the young guys turn into like I can. But I hope he knows what he gave up in leaving Cleveland. Those were his true fans, not just LeBron stans, but LeBron in a Cavs uniform fans. Those kinds of fans don’t travel. We wait and hope.

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