LeBron James Addresses Critics in New Nike Commercial

Should NBA superstar LeBron James be who we want him to be? That's all the Miami Heat guard wants to know in a new Nike commercial that features him questioning his critics and taking a direct shot at Charles Barkley.



Should he have stayed with the Cleveland Cavaliers? Gotten his "Chosen One" tattoo removed? Admitted he's a failure because he teamed up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh? Given up on hoops altogether and focused on something else? Ignored the advice his friends gave to him about his free agency, his brand and his life this summer?

In the 90-second clip released earlier today, LeBron takes aim at each and every columnist, blogger, NBA analyst and talking head that took shots at him after he made his decision to join the Heat in July. He addresses them, not through answers, but by questioning what they would have done if they were in his shoes (a nice touch, considering the spot was paid for by Nike). And he finishes by posing one simple question: "Should I be what you want me to be?" It's nothing if not effective.

Here at TheBVX, we've thrown plenty of stones at King James' throne. We've laid out all of the different ways NBA teams could have lured LeBron, pointed out how much the city of Cleveland hates him and listed the ten things LBJ did to ruin his reputation. We've criticized his decision to broadcast The Decision, questioned his motivation for taking his talents to Miami and admonished him for saying stupid things on Twitter. We've launched an all-out LeBron-a-Thon since July to drag the guy's name through the mud, simply because we haven't agreed with how he's handled the last six months of his career.

But even we have to give it to LBJ: This new Nike ad? It's a W. Not because it'll help him sell sneakers or turn him back into the beloved superstar he once was or make us any less upset that he bolted to MIA. Rather, it's because it's the first time LeBron himself puts everything -- from The Decision on -- into perspective. It's the first time LBJ gives us a real, albeit dramatic, look into the questions he had to answer before deciding to skip town and start his career in another city.

And through that, we realize that LeBron is not what we want him to be. He's flawed. He's imperfect. He's -- dare we say -- human. But, you know what? There's really nothing wrong with that. And even though we think everything he's doing is wrong for his life, wrong for his career and wrong for his legacy, he's ultimately the one that's going to have to live with it. So, it doesn't really matter what we think, now does it?

We haven't said it in awhile, but we'll say it here: Good job, LeBron. Well played.

Does LeBron's new ad change your opinion of him -- or reinforce the fact that he's arrogant and selfish? Leave us a comment and let us know!