The Miami Heat are in the middle of something so special it's almost impossible not to step back, bow with gratitude, and giggle at how lucky we are as a city. Besides from the fact that they are world champions -- in addition to the mind-blowing basketball they currently play -- the Miami Heat represent the utmost example of how our city continues to shine brightly as we progressively evolve into the 21st century. From the inside, their chemistry directly correlates to what is happening in the streets of Miami: we are a diverse community finally coming together, united, with a voice and a brain. From the outside, the Miami Heat are making us look great to the rest of the world, which is exactly what we need as we continue to overcome a stale reputation leftover from the Eighties.
The Harlem Shake video is perhaps the best illustration of the alchemy these guys create. The viral video, garnering millions of views per day, is just like the Miami we live in: playful, creative, cutting edge. Miami can have fun, we indeed calculatingly know what we're doing, and guess what, we're winning, so please don't hate. The two culprits behind this, team leaders LeBron James and Dwayne Wade, the scientists in the lab, are brewing a potion of participation and camaraderie never before seen in the history of sports, and to the victor (the city of Miami) goes the spoils.
No single sports figure perhaps since Muhammad Ali is transcending their sport like LeBron James, and he does so silently, through social media, and loudly, with play on the court. Think of other brand-name players like Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods, observe how their behavior eventually led to isolation or self-destruction. Compare that to LeBron, whose brand will one day soon be worth a billion dollars, and acknowledge the group chemistry he is creating in the process.
This Harlem Shake video does not stand out alone. Last year, LeBron and crew posed together in that iconic hoodie picture as a sociopolitical message standing in unity with Trayvon Martin. Last month LeBron and Dwayne Wade dropped in to see the 'Canes play basketball. Could that help with the team's recruitment? You think. Before that, Lebron and DWade, along with Mario Chalmers, not once, but twice rode with the rest of the city in our monthly community bike ride Critical Mass.
These guys are plugged in, listening. They're having fun while creating amazing team chemistry, and they're in-sync with the rest of the city, which is also having fun and growing. And just like the song blasting from the AAA arena during fourth quarter victories, we're all taking care of business.
Miami, absorb the "itness" of these moments, for they will be looked back upon in history.