Jackson Free Press

Legacy. It is a word that is thrown around a ton these days. But most of the time, it is thrown around too much and at the wrong times.

LeBron James’ legacy has been discussed a lot over the years. But at age 31, we are finally getting to the point where we can really discuss his legacy as a great player.

James is one of the greatest players in NBA history, no question. Depending on how each person ranks their own personal list, he in the top 10 players, top 15 at worst.

Anyone who questions how great he is has to remember that he is playing in his sixth straight NBA Finals. Last season, he dragged an injured and talent-depleted Cleveland Cavaliers team to the finals.

This year, he returns with a healthy team to face the Golden State Warriors for a second straight year. And this years' finals could begin to set his legacy in stone.

James currently has a 2-4 NBA Finals record. People judge him because he went into the league behind Michael Jordan, who went 6-0 in final appearances. Kobe Bryant was 5-2 in final appearances and took the torch as the best NBA player from Jordan.

James took the torch from Bryant but hasn’t had the success that either Jordan or Bryant had on the biggest stage in the NBA. It didn’t help that James lost two of those finals to a great San Antonio Spurs team.

You can make the case that James, when he was with the Miami Heat, shouldn’t have lost to the Dallas Mavericks. On the other hand, you have to remember that he was lucky to win one of his titles against the Spurs after San Antonio fell apart in game six.

There are several reasons the public judges James harshly. His ESPN special, “The Decision,” which talks about him leaving Cleveland for Miami, hurt the public’s opinion of him.

It hasn’t helped that James has a habit of disappearing at times in the finals. He also has a bad habit of becoming a jump shooter, one of his weaknesses, during those times. People remember when he shrinks in the biggest moments.

No one remembers how great you were getting to the finals. They only remember how great you played on that stage.

Things have come around now that James is back in Cleveland. People have returned to the idea that they would like to see a native son bring back a title to city that is struggling and dreaming of one.

James winning for Cleveland would be like the Chicago Cubs winning a World Series. It would change the perception of his titles and his final appearances. Winning a title in Cleveland would mean more than winning a title, period.

With a win, James would up his record to 3-4 in NBA Finals. The win for Cleveland would make it seem like he has an even …

It’s official. Former Mississippi State University quarterback Dak Prescott is now a Dallas Cowboy. Prescott signed his rookie deal on Tuesday, along with fellow fourth-rounder Charles Tapper.

That leaves the Cowboys with one unsigned draft pick.

Prescott received a $383,393 signing bonus as part of his four-year deal. His base salary from 2016-2019 will be $450,000, $540,000, $630,000 and $720,000.

Dallas spent plenty of time with Prescott before the draft. They met with the quarterback at the Senior Bowl, NFL Combine, during a private workout in Starkville and at the Cowboys Headquarters Valley Ranch before the draft.

Prescott, who owns 38 school records, is the first quarterback Dallas has drafted since 2009, when the club selected Stephen McGee. During Prescott's career at MSU, he accumulated 11,897 yards of total offense and had a 23-10 record as a starter.

The former MSU great will battle with Kellen Moore for the backup job to Tony Romo. In college, Prescott ran for 2,501 yards and 41 touchdowns, which could make him a factor near the goal line for the Cowboys.

As injuries and age begin to catch up with Romo, the thought is that Prescott can be groomed to become the next starting quarterback. He brings arm strength and mobility to help overcome his weakness of not knowing the offense as he battles Moore for the No. 2 job.

Speaking of signing bonuses, former University of Mississippi defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche did a little bit of shopping with his. The former Rebel received $4.45 million signing bonus after inking his deal with the Arizona Cardinals, who drafted him in the first round.

The first thing Nkemdiche bought was a way to get around town. The former Rebel selected a Cadillac Escalade for his new wheels.

After buying his Escalade, the defensive tackle went shopping at a thrift store to stock up on XXXXL and XXXXXL shirts. A thrift store isn’t where you normally hear about a first-round NFL pick spending his money, but Nkemdiche isn’t your typical first-round draft pick.

Next, the new Cardinal is planning on buying a new saxophone. The defensive tackle once played the instrument at actor Morgan Freeman’s Clarksdale club Ground Zero.

While Nkemdiche still hasn’t decided if he will buy a home, he didn’t buy the panther he said he would like before the draft. The Cardinals have to be happy that their first-round pick decided on the Escalade and not the panther.

But down the road, he still could get it.

In May 2016, Donna Ladd sat down with JPD Chief of Police Lee Vance to discuss crime, youth violence, and creative solutions.

Mississippi State University (41-16-1) was one of the four SEC teams to earn one of the eight national seeds when the NCAA announced the field of 64 teams. This is the first time the team has been a national seed.

The Bulldogs are the No. 6 seed with fellow SEC teams, No. 1 seed the University of Florida (47-13), No. 4 seed Texas A&M University (41-16) and No. 8 seed Louisiana State University (42-18).

The four national seeds from the SEC are a record for the NCAA Baseball Tournament. But that’s not the only record the conference made when the field was announced.

A record seven SEC teams will host a regional. Along with the four national seeds, these SEC teams will host a regional: the University of Mississippi (43-17), Vanderbilt University (43-17) and University of South Carolina (42-15).

In the Starkville Regional with MSU is No. 2 seed California State University, Fullerton (35-21), No. 3 seed Louisiana Tech University (40-18) and No. 4 seed Southeast Missouri State University (39-19).

The Bulldogs will open regional play against Southeast Missouri State University at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, June 3, and the game will be on ESPN3. Cal State Fullerton and Louisiana Tech will meet at 6:30 p.m. in the second game.

The losing teams will meet at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 4, in an elimination game. The winners will face off at 6:30 p.m., and the winner of that game plays for the regional title on Sunday, June 5. All regionals are double elimination.

In the Oxford Regional, No. 2 seed Tulane University (39-19), No. 3 seed Boston College (31-20) and No. 4 seed University of Utah (25-27) will join the Rebels.

UM opens regional play at 7 p.m. on Friday, June 3, against Utah on ESPN3. The first game of the day is Tulane against Boston College.

While the Rebels and Bulldogs will host a regional, Conference USA Baseball Tournament winner, the University of Southern Mississippi, will not host a regional. The Golden Eagles instead were placed in the Tallahassee Regional.

Florida State University (37-20) is the No. 1 seed, USM (40-18) is the No. 2 seed, University of South Alabama (40-20) is the No. 3 seed, and Alabama State University (38-15) is the No. 4 seed.

USM will open regional play at 11 a.m. against South Alabama on Friday, May 3. FSU and Alabama State will play in the second game at 5 p.m., and both games will be on ESPN3.

If Mississippi State wins its regional, the team will play the winner of the Lafayette Regional. That regional has No. 1 seed University of Louisiana at Lafayette (41-19), No. 2 seed University of Arizona (38-20), No. 3 seed Sam Houston State University (41-20), and No. 4 seed Princeton University (24-19).

If the Rebels win the Oxford Regional, they will face the winner of the Coral Gables Regional. That regional features University …