Athletes are more than just sports players. They are celebrities. People spend hours watching them, following them, mimicking them, they need to display a good behaviour and uphold certain values at all times. I agree with you, Lebron James is not the best sports player not because of his skills on the court, but his character values on court and off court.
These athletes have millions of followers, and while everyone should be free to do whatever they want, I think that they have a certain responsibility to behave in a way that influence the world in a good way, since so many people CAN and WILL be influenced by the things they do, in the sports entertainment industry, especially with their lives on a magnifying glass due to the presence of social media and internet.
Thank you for your post, and I hope that we can see athletes with good morale and values. They do not have to be perfect, they can at least TRY to be, and set the best example they can for the future generation of mankind.
RE: A hater gives LeBron his props for being the G.O.A.T. when it really matters.