Living up to the hype

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Tuesday night — or Thursday night — LeBron James will likely become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, a remarkable accomplishment in many ways. For me, one in particular stands out.

Here is a man who, as a teenager, had the expectations of the world laid on his shoulders … and still managed to surpass every single one of them.

He didn’t just become a great basketball player; he’s in the conversation of greatest to have ever played the game.

He didn’t just lift his family out of poverty; he became a billionaire.

And he didn’t just score a lot of points; he’s about to score more points than anyone who’s ever played in the NBA.

The sports world is littered with world-class talent you’ve never heard of because somewhere along the way life got the worst of them, players like Schea Cotton, Earl Manigault and Ronnie Fields. They made a bad decision somewhere, didn’t have the commitment to be great, or were victims of their surroundings. Something.

There were a million pitfalls between the projects of Akron and supplanting Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, and somehow LeBron James managed to avoid almost all of them.

He’s certainly made some missteps along the way. The Decision was ill-fated, and his unwillingness to step out of line when it comes to China calls into question his willingness to put his money where his mouth is.

But let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater.

The totality of LeBron James is an inspirational story. He’s taken his life experience — growing up the son of a single teenaged mom, moving from apartment to apartment or sleeping on couches when they couldn’t afford rent — and given back to that same community in ways that will help a lot of young hims. He started the LeBron James Clubhouse where kids are fed every day, opened an after-school…