LeBron, I get it. As one born and raised in Memphis, TN, I always had greater ambitions for my hometown.

“There just isn’t anything here, man. Memphis has to do better.”

I heard this all the time. It was so frustrating to live in a place that could not truly unlock its full potential and utilize its abundance of resources to become the renowned metropolitan juggernaut that it deserves to be. The world does not fully understand the diverse population of the city or its aura. The outside view is so skewed and limited. We’re more than what meets the eye. However, with this frustration comes hope and anticipation, a feeling that it is only a matter of time before Memphis shines in the light of glorification that it deserves. All it takes is the right people at the right time doing the right things. It’s inevitable. The only question is, who will it be?

There was always an underlying expectation among my close friends and family that I would leave Memphis. It’s not that Memphis is necessarily a bad place, but there just wasn’t…enough. Memphis is a place plagued with complacency, stagnation, and repetition, but I needed a place with transcendence, innovation, and liveliness in order to reach my full potential. I found that in New York City, and perhaps LeBron found it in Miami.

Nonetheless, as I said in my previous post, I carry Memphis with me everywhere I go. It is in my voice, mannerisms, posture, and morals. It is the place where I was educated, played sports, learned how to check, wept, and formed memories with my family and friends. I am a direct product of that environment.

Thus, I find the criticism and discussion around LeBron James’ decision to return to his home and re-join the Cleveland Cavaliers…interesting. There is talk about his legacy, likelihood of winning another championship, his contract, and everything else under the sun. But what most people fail to consider is that LeBron feels innately indebted to the Northeast Ohio area. All money, contracts, and burning jerseys aside, let’s talk about LeBron, the kid from Akron, OH.

In his letter published by Sports Illustrated, LeBron states:

“Before anyone ever cared where I would play basketball, I was a kid from Northeast Ohio. It’s where I walked. It’s where I ran. It’s where I cried. It’s where I bled. It holds a special place in my heart. People there have seen me grow up. I sometimes feel like I’m their son.”

Notice the diction: walked, ran, cried, bled, kid, son. The verbs display extremely formative characteristics of a human being — simple characteristics yet crucial to ones development. It is so intriguing that he attributes such delicate experiences to an area. Northeast Ohio is the foundational soil that houses his memories, experiences, letdowns, and triumphs.

One could never completely understand the struggles he experienced with his mother or the memories he made with his childhood friends or his difficulty bouncing around schools or the first time he played organized basketball in Akron, OH. For better or worse, it is where he learned, lived, and sprouted. His swagger, speech, subconscious, and values are composed of the very fabric of the area. It is an area that nurtured his progression and propelled him to blossom into the icon that the world knows as LeBron James. He is not just from Northeast Ohio. He IS Northeast Ohio.

Growing up, friends and family would always ask me, “If you make it big, are you going to give back to Memphis?”

My answer was always, “Yea, of course.” I have to.

It’s funny. ‘Making it big’ is such an arbitrary, undefined echelon of success. However, I think we can unanimously agree that LeBron James has reached and surpassed that point. He realizes the influence that his presence has on an area. Since announcing his return, Cleveland is projected to gain $500 MM in revenue, artists and celebrities like Drake have talked about supporting and investing in real estate, and the Cavaliers’ chance of winning a championship is as optimistic a probability as 3-1, which was as low as 60-1 a few weeks ago. From LeBron’s perspective, these things signify his opportunity give back to the area that gave so much to him. He is paying back his debt — with interest. He is an economic, social, and cultural powerhouse that is going to advance the status of Cleveland for years to come, and he recognizes this. No other human being on the planet can benefit Cleveland more than LeBron James can right now.

The same isn’t the case for his presence in Miami. Cities like Miami and New York have been blessed enough to be staples of celebrity, glory, and economic prowess. Their full endowment is on display for the world to see, admire, and indulge. Cleveland and Memphis do not share the same privilege.

Sure, LeBron could have stayed in Miami and been a big fish among other big fish in a vast pond. But there is something significantly different and special about being a big fish in the pond from which you emerged, the place you hold dear in you heart — especially if that pond is smaller and undervalued. This is not about chasing a legacy or appeasing a group of people or proving others wrong. This is about a man’s inherited responsibility to contribute to the place from which he came.

No one is running to Cleveland, and no one is running to Memphis. No one is going to reverse our cities’ fortunes except for us. To be clear, I do not claim to be Memphis’ hometown ‘savior’ or compare my [potential] impact on Memphis to LeBron’s impact on Northeast Ohio. But, if I had the ability to uplift the status and trust of my community the way LeBron James can for his, I would do it in a heartbeat. I have to. I owe it to them. Wouldn’t you do the same?

After all, we all we got.