"LeBron, you have been the most scrutinized athlete that I have seen in my lifetime," Krzyzewski said, looking at James during his speech. "To have the year of scrutiny that you had the year before -- and then to have the year of accomplishment -- the dignity and class you showed makes you unbelievably deserving of this award.
"You are in a position of mastery," Krzyzewski continued. "That's where you are with your game. There is nobody in the history of the game of basketball who has been more unique than you. No one has been able to play all five positions or guard all five positions at the highest level that you do."
Asked prior to his speech if James was the most gifted player he had ever coached, Krzyzewski said, "I think he is the best athlete and the most unique. He can play and defend all five positions on the court, which I'm not sure anyone in the history of the game has done. He was really the only candidate this year for Sportsman of the Year. To be MVP, champion in the NBA, MVP of the NBA Finals and our leader at the Olympics where we won a gold medal, you can't have a year any better like that. He's one of only three players in the history of the game -- Bill Russell, Michael Jordan and LeBron -- to win MVP, the NBA championship and the Olympics in the same year. He's in rarified air.
The Sportsman award comes less than 29 months after James sat on a stage at a Boys & Girls Club in Greenwich, Conn., and incurred a nation's wrath with his ESPN-broadcast announcement (The Decision) that he was heading to Miami. James gave his Sportsman acceptance speech on Wednesday without any prepared notes. "I'm a kid from Akron, Ohio and to have one of the greatest coaches of all time be a mentor and be someone who I can call every day no matter what the time of day is crazy," James said. "I got a Coach K and Jay [referring to Jay-Z] to call any time I want to for advice, for anything. It is unbelievable to see where I have come from."
James thanked his family -- his mother Gloria and fiancé Savannah Brinson were in the audience-- and cited his work with the LeBron James Family Foundation and Wheels for Education. "It means everything to me," James said. "To be able to inspire kids, to be able to be a role model to those kids, it is everything. I feel like all adults, as role models, as leaders, as mentors, we all have to find a way to make sure these kids' dreams become a reality."
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