LOS ANGELES -- The crowd of people began to grow bigger and bigger around LeBron James. The Media Availability portion of NBA All-Star Weekend was at full capacity, as scores of media members scurried around, looking for meaningful or hilarious sound bytes with which to fill their websites' content.
Yours truly was one of them. I tried to inch my way closer and closer to LeBron, in an effort to get a decent-sounding recording for personal use. Asking a question was out of the question: I was too far from him, and trying to communicate with James felt like asking a question to someone on the other end of the (flat) earth (shoutout to Kyrie Irving).
So I decided that I needed to get closer. I searched for some space with which to advance, like Ray Allen fighting through a screen. From the corner of my eye, someone left his spot, which gave me the opportunity to move closer. I took the opening, and made my move.
And I was in! Finally, I was close enough to him that if I shouted at my highest decibel, he would turn his gaze towards me. Things were finally turning around.
As I was bracing to shoot my shot, someone tapped my shoulder. I turned around, and a lady with an exasperated look was staring at me. "Did you realize that you just cut in front of me?" she asked with her incredulous expression.
"Oh wow, I'm sorry," I said. "I didn't see you there."
That was the truth. I really didn't see her there. However angry journalist lady refused to let me off the hook. "You're incredibly rude," she said as she walked away to another part of the media scrum.
That left me speechless. And to make matters worse, just as I was about to compose myself and try to ask James, his time was up and he walked out.
Sucks to be me.
I thought about that entire moment throughout the entire All-Star Saturday night action. As Spencer Dinwiddie raced through the Skills Challenge, Devin Booker bombed away in the Three Point Shootout, and Donovan Mitchell old-schooled his way to the Slam Dunk title, that moment was on my mind. I tried to rationalize my actions as simply unfortunate, and a part of me still believes that. However the reality is that I wanted to get ahead of her. I wanted to be in the best position, and to take care of my own requirements.
It seems ironic then that this was happening just as LeBron James was baring his soul to all of us, as he talked about refusing to "stick to dribbling." James has always been outspoken about a number of things, but perhaps the most powerful words he's spoken have been on the subject of equality.
"We will definitely not shut up and dribble," James said defiantly during Media Availability. "I will definitely not do that. I mean too much to society, to the youth, to so many kids that feel like they don't have a way out, and they need someone to help lead them out of the situation they're in."
The words of James set the tone for All-Star Saturday because he reminded everyone that life goes beyond the hardwood floor. During this time and age, it is impossible to separate your job from what's happening outside. The same thing goes for LeBron. He realized the problem, and was fearless in confronting.
And that hit me hard, because that's exactly what this lady did to me. She saw the problem- I cut in front of her, almost bumped her, and took away her rights to her own decent content. She was there first, and I cut in line. And instead of taking it all in stride and just fuming quietly, she decided to let her voice be heard. She told me where my blind spot was, and told me what I needed to hear.
The job of a sportswriter is not an easy one. You're fighting for unique content, individualism, and to stand out in a crowd of amazingly talented fellow writers. And to do that, sometimes we find ways to get ahead of others. I appreciate the lady who told me off, because it reminded me that we can do all of that, without affecting others adversely. I'm grateful that she told me what I needed to here, instead of letting someone else be affected by my actions.
If there's one thing I've learned during this All-Star Weekend Saturday, it's that we're so insignificant in the grand scheme of things. I have stood beside writers and media personalities that I can only dream of emulating one day. The gulf between their incredible skills and mine is ridiculous.
But you do the best with what you have. You try to be the best version you can be, without compromising who you are. And if that happens along the way, just like LeBron's willingness to speak out, I hope there's someone in your corner that's willing to tell you what you need to know too.
I know I did.