Today, I was chosen from among all Daniel Murphy Scholars to present the induction of a new player to the Hall of Fame. This player pushes me to be the best every day. Even if he isn’t the best player in the league today, he shows, even in his old age, that he still pushes against the youngins to be one of the top players today. LeBron showed that, loss after loss, he still pushes for the next game or season and never gives up. The NBA Hall of Fame is a place where the greatest players go after they retire, so this is why I am proud to present the 4x champion, 3x time MVP, 3x time finals MVP, 2004 Rookie of the Year, and the All-Time Scoring Leader, Lebron James!
LeBron has always been my inspiration. When he wasn’t so famous yet, the first time I ever saw him play was during the 2016 Finals against the Warriors. My brothers were playing the game on the kitchen TV, and all I ever got to see was LeBron running wild against the Warriors. I saw huge dunks, mid-range, and three-pointers. Since that time, I have known he was the best on the court. Since then, I have watched him win the Finals and have kept watching his career to this day. LeBron has taught me that you should never quit, because he never quit when they were 3-1 behind in the Finals. He has also taught me the value of the grind, that to be the best, you must work harder than all the rest, so others can settle for second place. Something I believe in that LeBron says is, “Greatness is defined by how much you want to put into what you do.” To me, this is giving every ounce of effort it takes to be great. I want to change the world, big or small, and to do that, I must keep pushing till I’m number one.
LeBron has built a legacy that extends well beyond the court; it’s an educational legacy. Having had a tough time with education himself, he didn’t wish for other kids to have the same experience. In addition to the help of his foundation, LeBron decided to use his earnings to repay his hometown of Akron, Ohio. In 2011, he and his foundation began building the I PROMISE School. The construction took seven years, and the school was announced on July 30, 2018. The school will help low-income families enroll their children and provide them with a quality education at no cost. This project shows that basketball players can truly have an impact on people’s lives through doing something they love.
LeBron has changed the game of basketball. As a rookie, people thought he would be a small fry and someone who couldn’t guard, but they were wrong. In his rookie season, he was putting up points that no rookie had gotten before his time. He showed because he was young, but it didn’t mean he was a force to be reckoned with. Later on in his career, he was also known as a menace not just on offense, but play-making too. As a small forward, a lot of people just think they are there for offense and defense, but LeBron showed them wrong. He became one of the best playmakers in the league, winning the 2020 assist leader and also holding the record for most assists by a forward in NBA history!
Misael Hurtado – Holy Trinity High School – DMSF Class of 2029
Photo Credit: Chichi Onyekanne – Unsplash