LeBron, Egos, and Kojinshugi

Surprise! According to a recent poll, superstar LeBron James of the Miami Heat is now the 6th most unpopular athlete in the country. Ahead of LeBron on this list are other self-absorbed athletes such as Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens. In case you are not tuned into the world of sports and professional basketball in particular, “King James” recently became a free agent in the NBA and then conducted an “it’s all about me” campaign before announcing his decision to join the Heat on ESPN Prime Time.
In many ways, LeBron is a product of a society which values Kojinshugi, the Japanese term for individualism. American society encourages us to value me before we, to view our own success as an individual rather than a collaborative effort. Needless to say, this type of behavior would be frowned on in many countries, including Japan.
Perhaps, even individualism has its limits in the U.S., especially when we “super-size” it. In a way, we admire someone like Kevin Durant, another NBA superstar who quietly plays the game at a very high level but maintains his humility and doesn’t appear to crave the headlines. Or consider the philosophy of one of the legendary NBA leaders and players, Bill Russell of the Boston Celtics. Years ago, Russell admitted he had an ego, but he emphasized it was a team ego, meaning his team was his first and only priority. Why is this kind of attitude so refreshing and yet, so rare? Maybe, LeBron, Chad, and Terrell could use a little coaching on the perils of kojinshugi, the benefits of genuine humility, and the meaning of a true team player.