Lebron James is a significant player who changed the path of NBA since 2010.
(Photo : Reuters)

Every time you hear the name Lebron James the first thing that comes to mind is an "NBA Star with great leadership potential." Since Lebron James joined professional basketball he has made noise because of his high basketball IQ. 

James played with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Miami Heat, and is now with the Los Angeles Lakers. He won championships, Most Valuable Player Awards, a gold medal in the Olympics, and dominated the Eastern conference until he moved out west to LA. His impact in the NBA is truly amazing and invaluable. 

Aside from his high IQ in basketball, he is also an inspiration for many because of his leadership skills in handling his team and fellow players. His career as an NBA basketball star led him to create avenues to expand his brand and businesses. 

He was also named as the Athlete of the Decade by USA Today sports and became the number one basketball player in the world a couple of times. 

According to USA Today, here are five ways that Lebron James changed NBA since 2010:

1. Finals and Titles

James played eight consecutive NBA Finals. The first, and only other, team to make it to eight consecutive Finals was the Celtics from 1950 to 1960. Here are some of Lebron James' Finals appearance and awards:

  •  James won three titles during the 2012, 2013, and 2016 seasons.
  • A Game 7 victory over the Golden State Warriors after Cleveland Cavaliers came back from 3-1 deficit and and racking up a triple-double in the process.
  • Saved the Miami Heat against the San Antonio Spurs during their Game 6 match.
  • They got the title against the San Antonio Spurs after he contributed 37 points and 12 rebounds during Game 7. 
  • Lebron James won 3 Finals MVPs, 2 regular-season MVPs, and a gold medal in 2010.
  • He also helped his team to prevent 5 teams to reach the NBA Finals and those five teams changed their coaches after not getting into the playoffs.  

2. Big 3 players empowerment movement

Building Big 3 players on a team started with Lebron James when he decided to join the Miami Heat together with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. The move of Lebron James was first criticized, but this has now become common place in the NBA. When Lebron James went back to the Cleveland Cavaliers, he joined Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, continuing the Big 3 formula. On the other hand, the biggest rival of Lebron James during those times was the Golden State Warriors. They also built their powerhouse team composed of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Kevin Durant, and won several titles. This season, some of the NBA stars joined together to get a championship ring. Kawhi Leonard called in Paul George with the Clippers, while Kyrie Irving joined Kevin Durant in Brooklyn.

3. Mastery of Media

Lebron James is not perfect and his "The Decision" on ESPN in 2010 was as some believe his biggest blunder. However, it taught him a lesson on how to handle media coverage. It led him to master the media landscape, now effectively using his social and traditional media to spread his message. His Entertainment Company Springhill Entertainment has worked with TV and movie studios and include the releases of "The Shop" and "Space Jam 2." Today most of the NBA stars also use alternative media to deliver their message.

4. Philanthropy

There have been several athletes who have charities or foundations for less fortunate children. However, Lebron James took it to a higher level where he created the Lebron James Family Foundation. He started giving bikes to students who accomplished their educational goals, later on, he sponsored students who met academic standards at the University of Akron. 

5. Social and political issues

NBA has a deep root of history in social and political issues. It can be remembered that when Trayvon Martin was killed in Florida in 2012, James in his teammates in Miami Heat wore hoodies with a photo of Martin and James also tweeted using #WeAreTrayvonMartin. Following it was Derrick Rose who wore a short with a caption "I Can't Breath" in support of Eric Garner who died in an incident with the New York police.