LeBron James has had one hell of a year

Written by Kyle Boenitz on Monday, 13 August 2012 12:30.

A regular season MVP. A Finals MVP. An NBA championship. And now a gold medal. That’s 2012 for LeBron James. Anyone else having that good of a year?

LeBron is just the second person ever to get all four of those in the same year. The only other person was the great Michael Jordan. If LeBron somehow lands a Nobel Peace Prize this year, he’ll probably be promoted to “God” status.

“It has been a great ride for me,” James said. “I could have never scripted it this way. I've had many dreams about it, winning an NBA championship and then following it up with a gold medal.”

We all watched LeBron get over the hump in June when he finally got himself a title. He had a lot of help from his supporting cast on the Miami Heat, but he played outstanding. He was dominant, scored when he needed to, passed when he needed to and rightfully earned that Finals MVP.

In the Olympics, it was a different story. He didn’t need to take over every game, but he made sure everyone knew he was on the team. He threw down some emphatic dunks when the U.S. needed some momentum and hit some big shots when they needed some points. He posted the first ever triple-double for the Americans in an Olympic game, which just goes to show you that he was out there doing it all.

LeBron has come a long way since the infamous “decision.” He’s been shaking off haters ever since and in the process of winning a championship and bringing home a gold medal, he may have finally converted a good majority. I’ve never had a problem with LeBron, but I understand the people that do. Now, I’m hoping all those people have come over to his side, because there isn’t much to dislike about him anymore.

Even after one of the greatest sports years of all time, there’s no time to rest for LeBron James. He’s got to defend his title, now against some even greater competition from the Lakers, who some are already handing next year’s championship. He’s also going to have to put in work if he wants to get past MJ’s six rings, which you know he does.

And while he’s doing all that, he can start thinking about whether or not he wants to defend his gold medal in 2016 in Rio.