Many young athletes dream of being the best basketball players in the world­–– what separates LeBron James from those young athletes is that his dream actually came true. He's been in the center of a media circus since his teenage years.They slated him the best and if he ended up being good, people would've written him off as failure– "good" wasn't good enough for LeBron, he had to be great. He's lived up to the hype. James went on to be a three-time NBA champion, three-time finals MVP, four-time league MVP, and 14-time all-star, all while having zero off the court scandals.

James maintains a reputation for being one of the most generous and humble people on and off the court. He has sent 1000 kids to college, is vocal on issues that affect black Americans and is building a school. You'd think all of this positivity would bring him universal love, right? Wrong. James is one of the most hated athletes. Today on the Salon 5, D. Watkins gives five reasons why it's time to stop hating on LeBron and time for all to embrace the basketball genius of this era.