LeBron James has entered a new phase in his career as a superstar athlete, a transformation that even James’s teammates on the United States men’s basketball team can see.
They watched him go through his biggest professional rite of passage in June, when he won his first N.B.A. championship. Now most of his teammates get to watch James grow as a leader as the national team prepares for the Olympics. James has smiled a lot these past few weeks as he has embraced his newest label: champion.
James also knows the spoils that come with an N.B.A. championship. He's now the leader on a team full of leaders. "I want to be one of the leaders on this team," James said, "and I feel I am."
The complete man
Leadership usually falls to a player who is not only accomplished but has also played long enough to share lessons with younger players. James, who is 27 and in his prime, fits both prerequisites.
It also helps that this United States team has plenty of young players. James is older than half of his teammates.
"I'm trying to lead this team in the right direction," he said. "I'm going to try to help these guys win the gold medal."
For James and his teammates, that process began in full after Saturday's announcement of the United States' Olympic roster.
{{/usCountry}}For James and his teammates, that process began in full after Saturday's announcement of the United States' Olympic roster.
{{/usCountry}}Although James was a member of the 2008 Olympic team that won the gold medal in Beijing, he was learning under players like Kobe Bryant, Jason Kidd and Dwyane Wade.
Most of James's older teammates on this team say that he is not only a different, more talented player than he was four years ago, but also that he is ready to teach others how to win.
Tyson Chandler, 29, won an N.B.A. title after the 2010-11 season with the Dallas Mavericks. Since then, he said his confidence — and level of play — had risen to a level that earned him defensive player of the year honours this past season and prepared him for his first Olympics.
Chandler said he expected James to have the same experience, and added that he realised James had the potential to exceed even the lofty expectations that perpetually accompany him. "LeBron is already an incredible player," Chandler said. "He's going to be a different player now."
Mike Krzyzewski, the national team coach, watched what James accomplished during the N.B.A. finals and is excited about what he will bring to the American team.
In Miami's series-clinching Game 5 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, James finished with 26 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds. He was the 10th player to be named the most valuable player of the regular season and the finals in the same year.
Earning his keep
"I felt really good for him," Krzyzewski said. "He earned it. He's taken such criticism for so many things. He was a great player in 2008, but he's exceptional right now."
James has already impressed Krzyzewski in the few practices the United States team had over the weekend. Krzyzewski, who will head his second Olympic team, knows that these highly talented N.B.A. players have great knowledge of how to play. When the players come together for the Olympics, that awareness increases, Krzyzewski said.
In practice, Krzyzewski said James made a number of terrific plays, including some extraordinary passes that Krzyzewski said James might not have even attempted with the Heat. James said that he believed the best examples he could set for his Olympic teammates were on defense. James, after all, guarded 3 of the top 15 scorers in the league.
Defensive man
Expect James to do the same against the best offensive players around the world. "You can put me on anybody, and I'm going to guard them," he said. "I love playing defense. I love taking on challenges from the best players."
Throughout his career, James has used the off-season to add skills to an already long list of abilities. James will use this experience to get better.
Bryant knows what the experience of the Olympics can do for a player, a leader. After the 2008 Olympics, Bryant won two N.B.A. titles with the Los Angeles Lakers. Could James do the same with the Heat? Bryant knows it is possible. He has an idea of what James is thinking after winning his first ring.
"When I and Shaquille O'Neal won one, it was a different kind of feeling," Bryant said. "It was like Michael Jordan had six and Magic Johnson had five. Me and Shaq were both like: ‘We have to get more.'" James understands this, too. He says he is ready to wear a new label: as a champion of multiple titles.