High-school phenom LeBron James found out earlier this week that he wasn’t a professional just yet. The player that has almost surely locked up what will be one of the first two picks in the NBA draft this year has been cleared by the Ohio School Athletic Commission following a two-week investigation into the gift of a new H2 Hummer from his mother, Gloria James.

The vehicle, which has a base price of $50,000 and was outfitted with three TVs and video-game hookups, was shipped from California to Ohio, where James’ mother made an 18th birthday present of the vehicle; that is one really nice mom.

According to the OSHAA amateur bylaws, any athlete that capitalizes on athletic fame by receiving money or gifts of monetary value must forfeit his or her status as an amateur. Had the board decided that LeBron’s new Hummer counted as a gift against the Ohio rules he could no longer have played for his undefeated and No. 1 ranked high-school team. The team would also have had to forfeit all the games won since LeBron got his new vehicle.

Fortunately, none of that ended up happening.

But seriously, does anyone actually believe that Gloria James went down to the bank and got an auto loan for over $50,000 for any reason other than being James’ mother? Doubtful, but possible. Whatever the case, there has probably been a line around the block staring at that particular loan officer’s desk during the last few weeks.

There is a pretty good chance that she got the loan because of LeBron’s athletic fame and, in turn, LeBron got his new H2 because of his athletic fame. Good for him.

LeBron and his mother managed to beat the system and get away with it, and, in this case, I certainly don’t see much wrong with it.

Rarely has their been so much hype surrounding an athlete that is so young. At 17, LeBron was introduced to America on the cover of Sports Illustrated, and since then, his high-school team has begun playing games in a college arena so higher ticket sales can be achieved. His games have been aired regularly on pay-per-view channels, and he has even had a pair of contests broadcast on the mother of all sports networks: ESPN. At every game, Nike executives grace one baseline while Adidas executives position themselves on the opposite end in the ongoing war to buy a piece of the next big thing. SportsCenter features him, women (not just high schoolers) clamor for him and writers like me turn his way when it is time for a column. Quite simply, because of his ability to play basketball, James has become a focus of the sports industry and all of the unpleasantries that come with it.

Make no mistake; at 18, earning no paycheck, James is supplying others around the country and world with a rare and valuable commodity.

Tennis stars, golfers, soccer players and other sports players the world over are paid huge dollars, pounds, euros, etc., etc. for their services. Many of them become professional at ages much younger than 18. It is not unheard of around the world for a soccer player to be playing professionally at age 15 or 16. James is receiving nothing for already being one of the biggest names in sports.

College players, while also turning the sports world, are at least theoretically benefiting as a group by being supplied with a tuition-free education. That tuition is something that, over four or five years, will add up to be every bit as costly as LeBron’s Hummer and should, if used properly, be exponentially more valuable.

But, just in high school, LeBron isn’t receiving this value. It is true that he could if he chose to, but at this point it doesn’t look like he needs to, and who can argue with him?

Congratulations to LeBron, with a little bit of creative banking he has gotten himself in a brand-new ride. He hangs with NBA players, drives an NBA caliber vehicle and will soon be an NBA player. He’s already making money for others; it’s fine that he got something for himself.

Now it appears the only thing that he needs is a lesson on driving a vehicle with a base curb weight of 6400 pounds, is almost 16 feet long and is nearly seven feet high. The same day he found out he could keep his Hummer and remain an amateur for the rest of the season, Monday, he apparently backed his H2 into an 88-year-old woman’s Dodge Stratus. The Hummer appeared to be unscathed; the car had to be towed away with a smashed hood and radiator.

Look, he’s already acting like an NBA player; let’s let him have his H2.