A Father’s Perspective

Here’s the thing—Stephen A., you’ve made a career out of running your mouth on TV. I’ve watched you for years, both when you were right and when you were way off. And I’ll give you this—you’re one hell of a journalist. Some of your analytics are interesting, even if I think you miss the mark half the time. But let’s be real, who’s actually sitting there fact-checking in the moment? It’s all about ratings. You’re loud, provocative, and even rap on air like Ludacris. But sometimes, the things you say? Absolutely ridiculous.

I caught bits and pieces of your recent ESPN segment. And yeah, LeBron said, “Shut the fuck up,” because you were talking about his son.

Now, I don’t even know where I’m going with this, but I’ll say this—LeBron gets a lot of slack as a player. He’s already cemented as one of the greatest to ever do it. But that’s not even what I respect most about him.

Do people realise he opened a school for underprivileged kids? That outside of basketball, he’s outshined Michael Jordan in so many ways? His philanthropy is unmatched.

We were both born in ’84—arguably the greatest year for thinkers and doers. We sit between generations, able to connect both worlds. ’80s babies, but those ’84 babies? We different.

I won’t lie—I was on the bandwagon for years. I was a die-hard Kobe fan, and LeBron was always in the conversation. But once I really started learning about him, my mind was blown.

So what’s the point of this blog?

As a father of three, I look at parenting differently. I let my kids do their thing, hoping they find their own direction. My biggest goal? That they grow up to be great humans. I don’t care if they become doctors, lawyers, or athletes—I just want them to chase their dreams and live a life of purpose. What I won’t accept is them sitting around with no ambition.

That’s why this whole situation hit home for me. Some fathers push their kids to live their own unfulfilled dreams. They expect their kids to make them proud and even provide for them. That’s not me.

I respect LeBron for stepping in and getting a bit gangster with Stephen A lol. We let our kids live, but at the end of the day, no one is too big to be protected.

A father will always protect his child in whatever capacity he can—but imagine doing it on the biggest stage of them all. Imagine being one of those children, and then imagine not.

To the parents I’ve seen who don’t protect their kids—to the ones whose children used to show up at the club when I was working security, looking for their mum and dad because there was no milk in the fridge and no one had been home for two days—I have no love for you.

I have love for the parents who truly do their best. The ones who sacrifice, who protect their children at all costs.

The biggest player in the world can still show us things off the court that are far superior to his legacy on it. That I can vibe with for today 🙂