How long will it take you to forgive him? 

"Not one ... not two ... not three ..." as LeBron James infamously said in July 2010.

How many years will it take you to forgive someone for mistakes they made at age 25? 

How many mistakes and blunders did you make at 25?

Now, how many would you have wanted the entire world to know about? 

LeBron James has never been anything except great at basketball. 

Only seven others have won three NBA Most Valuable Player Awards, as James has. 

He's never been in trouble with the law, never even been accused of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. 

He's done public service announcements for the NBA, promoting education and community service. 

He's the most glamorous passer 6 feet 8 inches tall and over that the league has seen since someone by the name of Earvin "Magic" Johnson delighted NBA arenas more than two decades ago. 

He's also been contrite and remorseful over how he handled what so many people hate him for. 

So ... Why the boos in every arena still? 

Metta World Peace (formerly Ron Artest) is beloved by many.  At the very least, he's tolerated by all; and he quit on the same teammates that came to his aid in the stands in something known as "The Malice at the Palace" back in November 2004. 

Remember that? 

World Peace has also clotheslined and elbowed opponents, knocking them from games and himself out of lineups, due to the subsequent suspensions. 

Yet, when you simply utter the name Metta World Peace, many smile or laugh, because that Metta can be so ... zany. 

Yet LeBron has never been involved in domestic disputes, never even fouled out of a playoff game until the just-completed Eastern Conference Finals ... and for some reason, when he touches the ball, tens of thousands of people inside arenas -- and millions more at home -- wish nothing but the worst for him.

All I want to know ... is, why?

And when will it end? 

When he wins a championship? 

When the public breaks him to the point of public tears? 

This is a young person whose life has been in the public eye since before he graduated high school. 

Has he benefited greatly, in terms of financial reward?  Absolutely. 

But, all of the money in the world clearly can't buy forgiveness. 

As much as all of us know, you can't find a single teammate that he's had, in his nine years in the NBA or at any time in his life, who has ever had one bad thing to say about him as a teammate. 

But for some reason, so many people hope he never accomplishes his ultimate goal, which is simply to win a championship. 

Think about it:  If you were surrounded by co-workers whom you felt were subpar, and they failed to allow you to reach the goals set by management, wouldn't you want to work elsewhere, too? 

Michael Jordan would not have been able to get some of those Cleveland Cavaliers teams to the championship level, so why did we expect LeBron to?  

He put in his time with the team in his native state of Ohio.  He played seven years there.  Ultimately, he was convinced management would never surround him with the personnel who would allow him to reach his personal (and the team's) goals.

So again, I ask you:  If you are unhappy where you work and you lose all confidence in your bosses to provide an environment that will allow you to be your very best, what will you do? 

So as the NBA Finals progress, think about what you're doing -- and what type of person you're doing it to -- when you boo LeBron and wish the worst for him. 

Then realize that at some point, you should just let it go. 

(Breathe.  Then repeat after me:  "Let the hatred go.")

And try to do it in a timely fashion.  Don't allow this special basketball talent to grow old and leave the game before we appreciate what we had. 

Because, much like there was only one Wilt, one Russell, one Erving, one Magic, one Bird, one Jordan, there is only one LeBron.

Not two ... not three ... not four ...