NBA players elicit a stern warning as lockout rolls on

From the moment he became a national sensation as a high school phenomenon, James has played by his own rules. He will not be controlled by coaches, owners or team executives. He pursues his own happiness without apologies. His decision to flee Cleveland for South Beach regardless of image or consequence rocked the NBA to its core.

Many in the media chastised James for his actions. Many NBA legends criticized James for joining someone else's team, for breaking away from the superstar archetype. Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley were appalled, and Magic Johnson still is poking fun at the NBA's ring-less leader.

But inside the game, it's a different story. Among a new generation of players and fans alike, James is more than the best basketball player on the planet.

He represents power and freedom, an athlete unchained by the boundaries of conformity.

Behind the scenes, during the 2008 Olympics, James' status among fellow players was impossible to miss. While Kobe Bryant acted like a perfect student around head coach Mike Krzyzewski, James struck a different pose. He wore bulky headphones to most open media sessions, making it clear he was off limits until he chose otherwise.

Once, Jerry Colangelo imported the late Myles Brand to speak to the Olympians. When Brand identified himself as president of the NCAA, James interrupted the speech with a shout from the back of the room.

"Of who?" he said.

"The NCAA," Brand responded.

"I missed you, man," he said. "My bad."

The joke was inappropriate and yet hysterical. James was pointing out that he didn't know Brand because he didn't need college to get where he was going. You could almost hear his teammates bursting with laughter, yet they remained governed by a sense of restraint.

Later, I asked Wade about James' brand of leadership, and why fellow players seemed to gravitate to him.

"He'll say anything to anybody at anytime," Wade said with near reverence.

At times, James might be misguided and tone-deaf. In a recent negotiating session, it was explained to James that the 43 percent of basketball-related income received by owners was not profit, rather a number that came before operating expenses.

According to a source, James replied, "Well, I have expenses, too."