That was great. Unfortunately, it's the national sports media's job to paint that professional sports are how these uber-talented athletes establish who is the best, from a competitive standpoint. It keeps viewers interested, as well as prospective players focused, to achieve the "greatest achievement" of making it in the NFL, NBA, etc. Once they make it in the league, we rarely here about the PERSON unless they've made a mistake. Sure, some of the biggest athletes get acclaim for their charitable work but that coverage is still driven by capturing a larger audience, i.e., making more money for both the respective sport and the media conglomerate that covers it.
Larry Sanders brings up incredibly human points; money isn't the most important thing in life, family and other relationships are. Yet, we jump to the conclusion that he is a coke addict. "How could he walk away from so much money? He must be into some heavy-handed shit." It's sad but unfortunately, that is how the media operates.
If there is any player in the league capable of mentoring a player like this, by creating a family atmosphere in the locker room, it's LBJ. With that said, I respect Sanders more now than i ever did and if he does decide to come back to the league, he should be welcomed back with open arms.