Lebron James is the Pablo Escobar of the NBA

     It's the Lebron takeover. The King isn't done yet. What Lebron, Kyrie, and the Cleveland crew were able to pull off against a vaunted Warriors team last year was stupid. Down 3-1 in the Finals, Lebron said "Not so fast." Then he chugged a couple of raw eggs and shadow boxed a cardboard cutout of Steph Curry. Lebron clowned the Warriors in the Finals like that 13 year old kid with the peach fuzz and pencil mustache draining corner threes over winded 12 year olds. Then the kid does the Carmelo three point celebration where he hits himself in the head and gets a technical for taunting the opponent. So the coach takes the 13 year old out, who is already having a rough week after his dog has recently died and he has had trouble coping with the loss. Not to mention he has always had trouble fitting in at school since he was held back in first grade. He curses his genes on a nightly basis, having provided him with such mature facial hair. So after the game, the kid stays late in the gym and shoots for hours because the sound of the bouncing ball is the only thing that can make him forget his worries. 

     Narcos is a dangerous show. Pablo Escobar is a dangerous man. He is a good character to star as the leading character of such a show. There's a scene in an episode late in season one where Pablo Escobar (spoiler alert (that is if you were not aware that Pablo Escobar is a very dangerous man, which you should be since I forewarned you)) dismantles an enemy with a pool stick. This show is not for the light of heart. The moment where Pablo eliminates his opponent with recreational sport equipment is the equivalent of Lebron's block of Andre Igoudala in Game 7. Pablo did a conniving thing here with the eventual victim of his pool stick attack- he tricked him into thinking he was free, let off the hook. If this sounds familiar it's because Igoudala and the Warriors are the pool stick victim and Lebron is Pablo Escobar. Up 3-1 in the series, Golden State thought they were home free, as did Igoudala when he raced to the hoop for the finish late in Game 7. Then, Lebron and behold, number 23 came blurring across the court. It seems like it took the King two steps to reach the hoop from half court as he skied to wipe away Igoudala attempt at the rim. Much like Escobar, Lebron is out here killing fools.

     Besides the brash pool stick related antics, Escobar has a quiet air of superiority. As he strolls around his various compounds, hand firmly tucked into his belt, calmly ordering around his henchmen, there is a certain sadness to his ways. It's as if he knows that he is putting his family in danger through his actions, yet he knows no other way to show his affection for them. He is decisive in his orders, having enemies knocked off left and right, but Escobar knows that these decisions will eventually come back to haunt him and his loved ones. The other shoe is a dark cloud that hangs over Escobar in a quotidian fashion, always waiting around the next corner. 

     Lebron is certainly not as down and out as Escobar, but he does have a dark cloud hanging over his every move. This dark cloud wore number 23 and played for the Chicago Bulls, as Lebron has alluded to with Sports Illustrated. Will Lebron ever be able to shake this cloud and make it to the light? This is a debate that will rage on for decades after his retirement, depending on how many more rings he can capture. There is a moment in Narcos when Escobar stares into the green, luscious countryside, as if he cannot believe the rewards he has reaped from it. He has such a deep, intimate relationship with the Columbian soil and people- the ultimate loyalty to a country. He has been exiled to other countries only to return home once again, stronger and more powerful than ever. Does this remind you of a certain basketball player from Akron that wears number 23?