So, “The Decision” happened. The Miami Heat concocted their juggernaut NBA machine. That was almost three weeks ago. Many believe this will equate to huge success for the Heat on the court. But what does all of this mean for the personal brands of the Miami Thrice (aka SuperFriends)?
Clearly, LeBron James was the most focused-upon and controversial figure in this whole situation. Once upon a time, the main debate with James regarded the basketball merits of Kobe Bryant versus his own. LeBron had not had that “Colorado” moment that Kobe had had; a moment which defined his legacy off the court.
Then “The Decision” happened.
Suddenly many people went from seeing him as an amazing talent and threat to the fortunes of their home team, to a maligned, selfish figure. People in Cleveland went so far as to downright hate him on Carlos Boozer-esque levels.
The LeBron James brand was a strong one. Sure, arguably it was comparatively weaker than Michael Jordan‘s was at its peak — LeBron simply has never had the same mainstream charisma as Mike — but it was extremely strong. Then, after a year of Summer Of LeBron ruminations culminated with the announcement of a one-hour television special, suddenly the LBJ23 brand came crashing down with a thud, in the eyes of a vast number of people.
People screamed out across twitter their disgust at the narcisism of the whole process. Blog posts were written. T-shirts were printed. Comic Sans press releases were published.
In one non-David-Stern-sanctioned swoop, LeBron James damaged his reputation more than many could have imagined was possible. And he didn’t assault a soul. He did not commit a felony. Not in a legal-sense anyway.
What he did do was show a complete and utter disconnect with the public. He showed what he truly is: a 25-year old man who has been lauded as a demi-god from far too young an age. He is not like you and me — not just on the basketball court, but off it too. His development process has been disconnected from reality by his environment. His failure to envisage the damage to his reputation through his treatment of this process proves that.
So yes, that just happened. Where do things go from here?
The other two-thirds in this Miami Thrice scenario have come from slightly more sympathised-with backgrounds. For a number of years fans and media have applauded the hard work of Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. They have been perceived as superstars unfairly blighted by tough situations, forced to toil away on teams devoid of sufficient talent to challenge for titles (in most seasons).
Despite this, both of these young men have been somewhat tainted — victims of guilt via association. Numerous articles have been published discussing the premeditated union of the three in Miami. It is said that they got together in recent years and planned this charade out. To many, there is no great harm in this — but the subconscious of many still taints Bosh and Wade with that same dirty brush that paints James’ South Beach condo.
For sure, Wade merely had to sit back, commit to the Heat and wait for the cavalry to roll into town. However in the meantime, his new comrade Bosh was treating twitter like the base of a Christmas tree on the night before Christmas — the former-Raptor acting like a small child eagerly awaiting his presents to be passed to him. Those north of the border bemoaned the little regard he showed for staying in Toronto. Others found distaste in his countdown to the Free Agent bonanza.
Now it seems that the only place that the three are loved is in Miami.
Sure the people of Cleveland, like wronged ex-lovers, were expected to rue the sight of their former star after this move. That is natural with the departure of almost any star. However the nature of the move — the way it was carried out — has lost LeBron witnesses across almost the entire NBA landscape. The Heat have made themselves an enemy to every team, every night.
Will the LeBron James brand recover its former shine? Undoubtedly it will make inroads eventually. People are fickle. They have short memories.
The true question is: what will LeBron — and his cohorts — do to try and recover that brand following that they previously worked so hard to build?
There is no disputing that all three have made tireless efforts to brand themselves. Public entertainment displays projected at TV cameras, wardrobe choices, internet social media presences; all of these things have been designed to build business empires in a way that players the likes of Bill Russell and Oscar Robertson in a far away universe would never have imagined.
The damage done in recent months puts some dent in that hard work.
Henry Abbott at Truehoop notes the following on LeBron:
A question for LeBron James: does he have a plan, beyond winning titles, to connect with the parts of his public that feels wholly alienated by the last month? Ahh, look, in my inbox here’s a press release about James from a P.R. agency. Turns out the firm represents not James, but some Miami nightclubs. Not sure this is the kind of thing that’s going to help. It’s about a night of clubbing, drinking and corporate schmoozing. (It also included mention of something called a “Kobe Meatball” which is kind of funny.): “Friday night LeBron James, who recently signed with the Miami Heat, celebrated at LAVO. King James was joined by Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets, San Diego Charger Shaun Phillips, Atlanta Hawk Josh Smith, Rudy Gay of the Memphis Grizzlies, Boston Celtic Rajon Rondo and Larry Hughes of the Charlotte Bobcats. Fans of all ages waited outside the hot spot for the arrival of King James, who sat down to dinner at the Italian eatery after walking the red carpet. Favorites including Calamari, Chicken Parmagiano and the Kobe Meatball were served along with Crown and Ginger cocktails and Lemon Drop shots. After dinner LeBron and friends took over VIP tables on the dance floor in the nightclub where they danced and partied fueled by Perrier Jouet Rose Champagne, Patron Tequila and vodka. LeBron was presented with a cake from Gimme Some Sugar, a replica of his new Miami Heat number six jersey. Miami Heat teammate Dwayne [sic] Wade joined the party after hitting TAO earlier in the night and Denver Nugget Chauncy [sic] Billups was spotted enjoying the night with his fellow NBA stars.”
Meanwhile, Bosh has been out and about too, trying to connect with the public. He was out at the Axe Lounge in Southampton NY on the weekend. The following being information passed on by some PR people connected to his brands:
About his move to South Beach
“I’m excited about the move. Just to get the chance to play in an environment like Miami with a great team. I’ve been dreaming about this since I was a little kid. I think everybody brings the sacrifice that we need in order to win, and to be great, and I think it helps that everyone has a family first attitude.”
About his the new place he’s going to get when he moves…and who will be doing the decorating.
“I think we’ll work together on the decorating of the new place. It will be a collaborative effort, but I’m very particular about what I like. I got my own style. I want it to be that homey look-nice and clean and very comfortable.
About the Documentary
“This is unprecedented times. It might not ever happen again and I wanted to get some footage and something for me to look back on and enjoy.”
On a date night with his girlfriend
“I saw the new Twilight with my girl, it’s definitely a good date movie”
And of course Wade has also been making public appearances, notably a recent appearance on the Jay Leno’s Tonight Show.
Do the three feel that they need to do anything out of the ordinary to regain the trust and favour of fans across the basketball landscape, or are they content with living their get-out-there-and-have-fun lives? Given the management teams behind the players, it would be surprising to think that no damage control conversations have been had in order to recover the shine of their respective brands — particularly in LeBron’s case. But if this is so, what will that change in behaviour be?
Or perhaps I’m way off base here. Perhaps LeBron and his team are more than happy to see him live his life as he wishes — the brand perception be damned. As unlikely as that sounds.
Time will tell. But one thing is for sure — the next publicity move that LeBron makes will be judged with one eye on this conversation.
