A Different Kind of Alone

"I mean, damn, I'm doing things in this league nobody else is doing. Come on, now give me my respect. I'm not no big man. I'm a basketball player out here doing things at my size that no one else is doing." --Suns forward Shawn Marion from ":07 Seconds or Less" By Jack McCallum

Marion is unappreciated. He is passed over. He was in Phoenix first. He took the Suns to the playoffs before Nash--averaging in consecutive seasons 17-11, 19-10, 20-9. In the playoffs, he averaged 18-12. The Suns existed before Nash, and they were powered by Marion. But the only glory he received for his labor was an endorsement deal with the Roomstore, where he holds a basketball in front of an incredibly comfortable looking chair.


The unappreciated character is a staple of literature. And the path which the character chooses is usually what drives the plot. Will the unappreciated one take his slight as a personal affront and try to destroy all around him in an act of revenge, or will he suffer silently, all the while exuding an aura of contentment? Shakespeare used this plot device effectively several times, but perhaps no more effectively thant in creating Iago from "Othello" and Cordelia, from "King Lear."


Shawn Marion is no Iago. Sure he possesses the jealousy, but this jealousy has never shown signs of morphing into villainy. Iago was fueled by hatred and effortlessly destroys those around him, paying no thought to the consequences of his actions. Marion has never reached that level. Above most he is devoted to the team, although he is not the face of the franchise, he has never tried to bring down the team in revenge for his slight. Although such action is not uncommon in the League.

In the NBA, the role of Iago has already been cast.
In contrast, Marion exudes many of the characteristics which make Cordelia an unappreciated hero in King Lear. Cordelia is a paragon of devotion and honesty, but nevertheless is passed over and exiled. In the face of adversity and this banishment, Cordelia is still devoted, never stooping to the level of her sisters.

Marion's "banishment" is not nearly as drastic as Cordelia. Marion is still in Nike commercials, he still is an All-Star, and even has represented the country in the olympics, but at the same time if you asked someone to name three Phoenix Suns, Marion would not be in the top two (and maybe not even the top three, if you were talking to someone from France, or a fan of Nebraska basketball and Eric Piatowski.) Yet Marion is still devoted to the team despite the "cruelty" of the fans and the public relations staff. So he still scores 30 points, like against Denver last week, but in the backdrop there is still that slight, personified in his comments about his teammates finally getting him involved.

Marion skills make him one of the most valuable and talented players in the NBA. But while he has always been devoted to the Phoenix Suns organization, the more and more his feeling of inappreciativeness fester, the more and more the possibility or demand of a trade becomes. Since Marion would rather leave paradise then destroy it.