NBA Finals: LeBron James’ leadership, work ethic put to test against familiar Miami setup

LeBron James is an epitome of commitment. No, this isn’t about him leaving his beloved Cavaliers twice to achieve success elsewhere. Or his desire to be the fittest athlete in the NBA at 35. Instead, this is about his commitment to winning; to pushing three NBA franchises — Cleveland, Miami and Los Angeles — to the league’s championship round in nine of the past 10 seasons. How can you not expect greatness from LeBron whenever he graces the court?

And here he is: In his 17th year in the NBA, just one series away from winning his third championship ring, this time as a Laker. Different uniform, same commitment. It is a true testament to his greatness to sustain success wherever he goes year in, year out. “He's seen everything. At this point in his career, it's just about winning. And his ability to do what he does at his age is incredibly uncommon. But there's a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes to be able to maintain that,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told journalists during his media availability on Wednesday.

READ: LeBron James Angry After Being Snubbed For MVP Award As Giannis Wins Back-to-back

Only last week, the NBA announced that Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo had won the NBA Most Valuable Award (MVP) ahead of LeBron James. Although there is no doubt about the 25-year-old's on-court prowess and accolades, LeBron James deserved it too.

Like Giannis, LeBron brushed aside indifferent form and carried the weight of expectations on his shoulders throughout the season. He even bounced back from an injury-plagued season to lead Lakers to the top. He led the assists chart in his first full-time role as a ball distributor.

James improved his 3-point shooting and made full use of his basketball IQ to win games single-handedly. Over the last few months, he steered the franchise through an emotional rollercoaster, especially after the death of Lakers legend Kobe Bryant. He even became the most powerful voice in his profession, tackling racial inequality, police shootings and even US President Donald Trump.

More importantly, he's led from the front in all aspects. All of this at the age of 35.

"He's the best leader I've ever been around, the simplest way to put it, in terms of players. Obviously like you said, we've dealt with a lot, a lot of heavy emotional types of adversity that we've gone through, and he sets a great tone with his example. But he is also a great leader from a communicative standpoint, talking to guys, talking to the group about the right mindset to have, to be in certain situations, being the leading voice when things occur where we're all not really sure how to deal with it or what to say. You know, he's been a leading voice in those situations. Just an integral part of our success this year," said Lakers coach Frank Vogel while talking to the media ahead of the NBA Finals.

READ: LeBron James Reacts To Ballistics Report That Contradicts Findings In Breonna Taylor Case

When King James embraced the Heatwave 

LeBron won his most recent championship just four years ago when he led the Cavaliers to a dramatic 4-3 comeback win in the Finals after being 1-3 down against Warriors, who were the greatest regular-season team in 2016. He won his first two championships with the Heat in 2012 and 2013, first thwarting a future MVP trinity of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden and then outmuscling a star-studded Spurs in seven games.

He didn't just join the Heat to win a championship ring or two with Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. Instead, he took his talents to South Beach to learn more about the game. LeBron recently recalled his time with the Heat as his 'college education'. He was 25 when he arrived and spent time honing his skills on the court and off it.

"Being a part of that culture allowed me to grow, allowed me to see what it takes to not only compete for a championship but also to win a championship," James said. “So it definitely put me in a position where I knew what it took. I saw what it took. But also I fit that culture as well because of how hard I worked. It was a perfect match for those four years," said the Lakers star during his media availability.

Miami allowed him to grow. Not only did LeBron become champion in those four years in Miami, but he also evolved into a leader.

“I think as far as leadership, that grows no matter where you are every day, if you want to be a leader, if you strive to be a leader every day. I think being around Riles (Pat Riley) and Spo (Spoelstra), D-Wade and UD (Udonis Haslem), just to name a few, being a part of that culture allowed me to grow, allowed me to see what it takes to not only compete for a championship but also to win a championship. So it definitely put me in a position where I knew what it took. I saw what it took. But also I fit that culture as well because of how hard I worked. It was a perfect match for those four years. Do you always become successful at it? Are you always going to win? No, it doesn't happen like that. But you're able to sleep a little bit better at night when you know you've punched the clock.”

In 2010, Heat President Pat Riley took LeBron under his wings after luring the superstar to join the Miami franchise over a host of other mouthwatering projects. LeBron chose the Heat culture. He embraced it.

"When I hear Pat Riley, I think about one of the greatest minds probably this game has ever had," said the three-time Finals MVP. "He's won at every level. I saw the stat the other day that he's been part of a championship in four decades. This league is not the same without Riles. He's a great guy, great motivator, someone that just knows what it takes to win, and he's shown that over the course of -- what -- 40 years."

Then comes Spoelstra. Worked as an assistant with the Heat from 1999 to 2008, Spoelstra played an instrumental role in the franchise's title win over the red-hot Mavericks in 2006. The 49-year-old's innovation on both sides of the ball propelled the likes of LeBron and D-Wade to develop into dynamic players. It's no surprise that the Heat have only had two losing seasons and have made the Finals on five occasions, winning it twice. Yet, Spoelstra is met with scepticism whenever a conversation about his coaching abilities is thrown into the mix.

READ: LeBron James, Maverick Carter Sign Four-year Movie Deal With Comcast Corp’s NBCUniversal

LeBron, in return, could only heap praise on his former coach. "It's unfortunate that he hasn't gotten his respect," James said of Spoelstra. "He's damned good, if not great. Probably is great because of his preparation. Every time we talked about Spo when I was there and we talked about how great he prepared us, and we talked about how great it was playing for Spo and things of that nature, you guys always said, well, you have LeBron, you have D-Wade, you have Bosh; any coach can do it. No, any coach can't do it. If any coach could do it, then there would be a lot more champions in this league. There would be a lot more successful coaches.”

LeBron is cut from a slightly different cloth. Michael Jordan retired at 35, so did Larry Bird. There will be arguments over his greatness and baseless comparisons on social media. The truth is that he has outsmarted opponents with his intelligence and preparedness. Even during the offseason, LeBron would spend most of his time at the gym. After all, the mantle of greatness is a tough ask. Spoelstra echoed that appreciation for the Lakers star.

"To see what LeBron has done, when he moved on to Cleveland and then to here, it really is just a testament to his greatness and his commitment to winning," Spoelstra said. "To be able to do it with different rosters and uniforms is really remarkable,” he said.

READ: NBA Reveals Incredible-looking Finals Court From Disney Bubble In Orlando

(Image credits: NBA)