The US star is admired all over the world not just for his sporting success, but also for his longevity, philanthropy and business acumen
For many, basketball at the Olympics is largely about seeing LeBron James in personHe had been hesitant to go, but his high school coach, Dru Joyce II, recalled in an interview telling James he needed to “see how big the world was”.At the Paris Games, he is playing in front of – and against – people from around the globe who grew up dreaming of one day seeing him in person. During James’s two decades in the NBA, the sport’s popularity has exploded internationally.
How far does his influence stretch? Vinícius Júnior, the star soccer player for Real Madrid, said in an interview that he didn’t follow basketball when he was growing up in Brazil but that James “was a bit of a superhero for me”, and served as inspiration for his own athletic exploits. It is a sentiment other stars echo.
Merritt decided to ease him into it. James played on the US men’s basketball team in the summer Olympics held in Athens in 2004, after his rookie season in the NBA. Before the Games began, the team played throughout Europe. When Merritt arranged James’s first trip abroad with Nike – to Tokyo, Beijing and Hong Kong in 2005 – he didn’t want to overload him with business. He focused on fun interactions with fans: camps, clinics, store visits.
Fans hold a cut-out photo of the USA's LeBron James before his team's game against South Sudan at the Olympic Games in Paris. Photograph: Sameer Al-Doumy//AFP via Getty Images He smiled broadly during the entire encounter, trying to hide the nerves. Meeting other stars is a normal thing for James. They often seek him out.
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