Kevin Durant has become the main villain of the NBA after his defection to the Golden State Warriors and rightfully so. He was one of the most loved players because of all he had done for Oklahoma City both on and off the court. Everyone thought he would come back and he and Russell Westbrook would stay a dynamic duo until the end of their days.
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That is clearly not going to be the case and now fans have to turn to someone else to be their "good guy" this season. Enter LeBron James. The former villain himself —- there was that whole "talents to South Beach" debacle —- became a hero again when he decided to "come home" to Cleveland. His legend grew this year when he led the Cavs to a title and gave the city its first major sports championship since 1952.
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A player who was maligned by everyone except Miami Heat fans until just a few years ago is now going to become the league's "good guy." That's the reality of the league we live in right now as the NBA is driven by superstars and James has become the biggest of all of them thanks to a revival of his image and popularity.
It all started before this offseason though as James actually became the funniest part of the movie "Trainwreck" (in 2015) that featured comedy heavyweights Amy Schumer and Bill Hader. He also appeared in several Funny or Die skits, but the most amazing part of the ultimate comeback was that he did it over the course of four years (2011-15). James went from getting his jersey burned to everyone praising him and loving him again.
Did some of that come from his on-court achievements? Absolutely. But he also realized he wanted to be a fan favorite and he worked at it. Making those ridiculous Kia commercials where he promises he actually drives a Kia was a nice touch and it's become clear that James is finally comfortable in his own skin. Once he had that eureka moment he really made the turn and embraced everything that came with being the superstar that he has become and will remain until his eventual retirement.
