Real power! At 41, LeBron James still has immense influence: holding up the entire NBA's pace

On July 22, Beijing time, the well-known American media outlet The Athletic wrote about LeBron's decision, with the headline "We all witness firsthand how enormous an influence LeBron James still wields." The article reads as follows—

Put aside his points, rebounds, assists, championships, and his extraordinary basketball IQ and business acumen for now. The most astonishing thing about LeBron James right now is that at 41 years, 6 months, and 21 days old, he still controls the entire situation.

The past three weeks have demonstrated this perfectly: he essentially slammed on the brakes, stalling the entire NBA's operational rhythm.The impact has spread from Philadelphia to Miami, across California all the way to New York.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver admitted last week that the league could not finalize the schedule until LeBron decided on his next team. That is real power. James Harden has yet to sign; the Cleveland Cavaliers can only keep waiting for LeBron's decision. The futures of veterans like Draymond Green and Jonathan Kuminga also hang in the balance because of him.

Summer League is over. Normally at this point, the league's pace slows down, coaches and executives start their vacations, and August is mostly a time to pause operations. But LeBron has now disrupted everyone's vacation plans as well.

No athlete has ever wielded such substantial influence at this stage of their career. Michael Jordan couldn't, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar couldn't, and neither could Barry Bonds or Wayne Gretzky. Tom Brady won his last Super Bowl at 43, Jack Nicklaus won his last Masters at 46, but none of those legends held the league hostage like this. Perhaps they chose not to do so as league business partners. But LeBron clearly doesn't see it that way.

"We won't rush a decision," his agent Rich Paul said Monday evening on the latest episode of the podcast "GameOver" co-hosted by Max Kellerman. "We're in no hurry. The choice is his. When he's ready, he'll announce it."

This confidence is admirable, but for the teams affected, it's certainly agonizing. The Cavaliers lack direction and can't move forward with roster adjustments; the Warriors and Heat are in the same boat. Every team has two plans: one for LeBron joining, and a backup. In previous years, most trades and free agent signings would be nearly finalized by now, but several teams' entire offseason operations won't truly begin until LeBron makes his choice.

It's easy to feel that LeBron might be enjoying showing off his powerful influence. Over the past eight years in Los Angeles, he has been more passively accepted by fans than genuinely loved. Lakers fans will always have Kobe Bryant enshrined in their hearts; LeBron will never be able to replicate or surpass that spiritual totem for the purple and gold faithful.

He is no longer in the top ten players in the league, and he can no longer single-handedly lead a team to the Finals like he did in Cleveland. His defensive effort has dropped off significantly years ago. No longer will multiple team executives travel to his hometown to meet with him, nor will any general manager completely dismantle a roster just to please him. For any team, he is no longer part of the future.

But this protracted free agency drama that has dragged through July is precisely his quiet way of reminding everyone that he still holds enormous influence.

His illustrious career gives him ample reason to take as much time as he wants to think, and that is perfectly understandable.Over the past two decades, the league has generated billions of dollars off his influence. Even if he has caused trouble for the commissioner's work over these weeks, don't expect him to apologize. Even if he has disrupted many people's plans and interrupted their vacations, he probably doesn't care. Think of it as the "bill" that has come due after twenty years of dividends.

However, this must come to an end eventually, hopefully not too long from now. At this stage of his career, LeBron is undoubtedly an important partner of the league, and he should let the market return to normal operations. He already has all the information he needs; he has experienced enough of this league-wide waiting game. Silver has already publicly acknowledged his enormous influence.

Observing LeBron's style closely and from afar over nearly two decades, one thing becomes clear: he easily exhausts the teams he works with. His emotions and way of doing things often frustrate team and league management. From October to April each year, he constantly creates challenges for his team, then delivers results in May and June. Even in his twilight years, he still makes all the effort worthwhile.

This summer is the best proof. If in the past few years in Los Angeles he felt he wasn't given enough attention or respect, now he undoubtedly has everyone's eyes on him.

July is coming to an end. The 41-year-old LeBron James has once again made the entire NBA operate on his schedule. As for the rest of us? We can only watch and wait. We are all still witnesses to this drama.