Posted by Jemele Hill

JOHANNESBURG -- There are two words that are absolutely meaningless in South Africa and honestly, I couldn't be more relieved.

The words?

"LeBron James."

In this corner of the world, there is barely, if any, interest in LeBron. Not a single South African has asked me about where LeBron will play next year. There is no around-the-clock television coverage of his meetings with various NBA teams, since none of the hotels I've stayed in have ESPN. There are no newspaper headlines that read, "LeBron Takes Sip of Water, World Awaits Him Wiping Mouth."

It's like he doesn't even exist.

It's so refreshing to be unplugged from LeBronMania. Nothing against LeBron, because he's an outrageously talented player, but the absurd levels of interest in his free agency and the shameful begging by NBA teams trying to land his services makes me glad I'm missing out.

There are several sports networks in South Africa, but as you might imagine, they are reporting on the World Cup 24/7. I watch CNN's International edition to have some sense of what's going on back home, but I haven't seen a single piece on LeBron. The World Cup is the No. 1 story in the world, and Wimbledon is running a distant second.

The best part about not being on Planet LeBron is that by the time I return to the States in mid-July, he will have decided on a team. So I get none of the hype, just the end result.