LeBron James = no class

[The Panch]

I didnt make too much of a big deal of him walking off the court cause I thought it was very immature of Dwight to jack up a 3 point shot with time expiring and I assumed Lebron took that personally. Kobe did it in '06 against Phoenix, Jordan was a sore loser who did plenty of times before the championship runs. The Zeke and the Pistons did it him when they swept em en route to their 1st championship in '91. It's weak, but it happens.



That being said, I thought leaving his supporting cast and coach to face the media while he went to hide in the bus and text his mommy, was punk made.


I didnt really care until he made no bones about it the next day when cooler heads should prevail. 100% ***** move by a guy who's not only supposed to be the face of his franchise, but being hyped up as the face of the NBA.


rofl @ him calling himself a winner. Im a Lebron fan, but cut the crap dude. You havent won anything since high school.

 

[Bleu Star]

That being said, I thought leaving his supporting cast and coach to face the media while he went to hide in the bus and text his mommy, was punk made.

Exactly...

I didnt really care until he made no bones about it the next day when cooler heads should prevail. 100% ***** move by a guy who's not only supposed to be the face of his franchise, but being hyped up as the face of the NBA.

Lebron still has a lot to learn.

rofl @ him calling himself a winner. Im a Lebron fan, but cut the crap dude. You havent won anything since high school.

More like whiner.

 

[lewpac]

Of course Laker fans call it a classless move. Anything to help separate Kobe from LeBron..At least LeBron didn't get caught cheating on his hot wife. Ya that story kind of got swept of the rug..

Lets see..a poor sport VS a cheating husband..hmmm which would I want my kid to be more like..

He's only 24.........give him some time.

I don't mean that as a smart *** either. But I gave up two decades ago on the off the court/field behavior stuff. If that were the criteria, then we would never be able to be a fan of any team and a lot of athletes. Because it's more the norm (bad behavior) than not it seems.

That train left the station years ago.

So, that was a cheap shot, below the belt line about Kobe. You wanna' talk that crap, go over to the social thread or the political thread. God forbid we have any discussion that remains about sports and "on the court" stuff!

That said, what nobody has brought up yet is LeBron's responsibility to his sponsors. This guy has become a brand unto himself. When you are this great (and he is) and this big, you become the poster boy for your sponsors. In his case, it's NIKE for starters. I'll garun-darn-tee ya' that THEY weren't too pleased with that hissy fit he threw after the last game. When you enter into contract to be the "franchise" of that sponsor, you gotta' live up to more than just good game.

Whats the first thing that happens to an athlete if their world comes crashing down? The sponsors run for the hills, that's what. And why? Because they want the average Joe out there to buy their stuff and buy their stuff for their kids. They don't want, or can't afford an "image" problem attached to their product.

Don't think for a nano-second that this is the only conversation going on about Lebron's post-game "I'm taking my ball and going home" tap-dance. He's gonna' hafta' answer to bigger money people than us for that.

 

[lewpac]

Another thing................
He NOW ALSO has a "scarlet letter" attached to him.

He's gonna' carry this "poor sport" thing with him as a chink-in-his-armor, because that's what people do to you when your a public figure.

Think Brett Favre. Yeah, yeah, the overwhelming stuff you hear about him is all the good stuff. But until he goes to his grave, and on his head-stone in a lot of peoples minds, he's never gonna' live down the "diva, me-me-me, soap-opera/needy" little Brett "will he retire or won't he retire" tag-line.

It always starts with "Brett was great, BUT................" And now, no matter what he does the rest of his life, the "LeBron is great, BUT............." will always be there.

Jerry Rice has a "he was great, BUT..............."
A-Rod has a "he was great, BUT..............."
Most boxers have a "he was great, BUT......"
Tiki Barber has a "he was good, BUT............"
Dennis Rodman has a BIG "he was great, BUT..........."

Many outstanding athletes, all it takes is ONE incident like this to take a little shine off of an otherwise stellar career and perception. Now, LeBron James has one too.......................and he'll NEVER live it down.

 

[greatdane1984]

I didnt make too much of a big deal of him walking off the court cause I thought it was very immature of Dwight to jack up a 3 point shot with time expiring and I assumed Lebron took that personally. Kobe did it in '06 against Phoenix, Jordan was a sore loser who did plenty of times before the championship runs. The Zeke and the Pistons did it him when they swept em en route to their 1st championship in '91. It's weak, but it happens.



That being said, I thought leaving his supporting cast and coach to face the media while he went to hide in the bus and text his mommy, was punk made.


I didnt really care until he made no bones about it the next day when cooler heads should prevail. 100% ***** move by a guy who's not only supposed to be the face of his franchise, but being hyped up as the face of the NBA.


rofl @ him calling himself a winner. Im a Lebron fan, but cut the crap dude. You havent won anything since high school.

He helped his team win Gold in the Olympics.

 

[greatdane1984]

Yes. IMO it is. It's basic sportsmanship. At the very least show up to the post game PC and answer every freaking question tossed at you for completely underwhelming a fan base that had huge expectations based upon your flawless record up until you ran into the big Orlando Magic machine. I'm not all about the whole handshake bit after the game personally. Actually I think football players on the pro level are a bit too friendly with opposing players during the game nowadays... but, at the very least, answer your critics. There's something to be said for standing up and taking it like a man/woman.

Lebron ran like a lil *****.

and you're a bigger man than he is behind a keyboard right?

 

[greatdane1984]

fast forward to the 5:55 mark
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19xH1gNWxt4
oh **** where are the Mavericks going? cant be going straight to the locker room? Where is Dirk going?

 

[Jenky]

 

[greatdane1984]

The true test of character isn't how one handles success but rather how one deals with loss. I understand LeBron is human and was justifiably upset. I understhand that he is young. However, it was his job to take questions from the media. It was his job to publicly acknowledge the success of the Magic and to congratulate them. It doesn't make him any less of a competitor to do so. A true competitor is a warrior and one who battles with honor. He demonstrated no honor. Instead of addressing the media and accepting the difficult questions, he let his teammates do it. That is a sign of a coward and a person with no character. And to make matters worse, he wasn't apologetic the next day about the issue and instead rationalized his behavior. I'm sorry but LeBron demonstrates everything that is wrong with today's athlete. Today's athlete is criticized for being selfish and that's exactly what LeBron exemplified: selfishness. Instead of showing class and giving his opponent his just due, he fled to the lockerroom and didn't want to deal with the stress of the media. He acted like a spoiled brat!

I lost respect for LeBron James yesterday and I know I'm not the only one. At a time in which we are trying to teach our children sportsmanship and professionalism, "King" James acted like a self centered and spoiled child.

got to be kidding me. You have great character right? Never done anything wrong?

 

[NextGenBoys]

He helped his team win Gold in the Olympics.

Re-watch the gold medal game.

Kobe and Dwade help the team win Gold. Lebron didn't do much in crunch time when Spain pulled to within a few points.

Kobe took the game over, and Dwade did his thing to.

Lebron? Not so much.

This is the moment I became a Kobe fan.

 

[NextGenBoys]

fast forward to the 5:55 mark
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19xH1gNWxt4
oh **** where are the Mavericks going? cant be going straight to the locker room? Where is Dirk going?

Dirk never professed his desire to be the biggest and most marketed athlete in the world.

Dirk isnt thrown into all NBA fan's faces with the proclamation of being a King.

Dirk isnt hyped up as being the best player and the face of the NBA.

Lebron wants all these things, and with this, you are placed under a higher microscope. People arent judged by when things are going well, its when things are going against you that you reveal your true character.

And its not just about the not shaking hands, its how he just dipped out and wouldnt answer any questions after the game.

If Lebron wants to be the face of the league, he has a strange way of showing it.

 

[greatdane1984]

Dirk never professed his desire to be the biggest and most marketed athlete in the world.

Dirk isnt thrown into all NBA fan's faces with the proclamation of being a King.

Dirk isnt hyped up as being the best player and the face of the NBA.How is this LeBrons fault?

Lebron wants all these things, and with this, you are placed under a higher microscope. People arent judged by when things are going well, its when things are going against you that you reveal your true character.

And its not just about the not shaking hands, its how he just dipped out and wouldnt answer any questions after the game. His teammates were absolute trash vs the Magic he was probably doing the smart thing by not saying anything stupid or throwing them under the bus.

If Lebron wants to be the face of the league, he has a strange way of showing it. LeBron is actually pretty classy, you hardly ever see him talk trash to fans/teammates/opponents. He jokes around and loves the NBA. he markets the NBA to death.

my thoughts in bold.

 

[greatdane1984]

Re-watch the gold medal game.

Kobe and Dwade help the team win Gold. Lebron didn't do much in crunch time when Spain pulled to within a few points.

Kobe took the game over, and Dwade did his thing to.

Lebron? Not so much.

This is the moment I became a Kobe fan.

LeBron =
14 points on 6/9 shooting
6 rebounds
3 assists
3 steals
3 turnovers
1 block shot
Played the most minutes of anyone on team USA INCLUDING KOBE and WADE.

Yeah id say he helped his team win GOLD. Maybe wasen't the best player in the game but he sure did help the team, I don't see how anyone can argue this?

 

[Bleu Star]

and you're a bigger man than he is behind a keyboard right?

Yes. As a matter of fact I am. I play semi-pro football and have never not gone out and shaken hands as well as prayed together after taking a loss. I also never propped myself up as the next great thing either. As an Olineman, I guess that comes with the territory. We go about our business of wrecking individuals quietly.

#78
Pensacola Lightning

 

[morieeel]

I think if he would have just owned up to it the next day, instead of trying to rationalize it, this would be a dead issue.. A lot to learn yet in the PR department. AS a Magic fan, I did lose a little respect for him, but he's still a kid (a year or two in college would have helped in this department), and he's going to be a hell of a player for a long time too come.

 

[JohnnyHopkins]

Not shaking hands was understandable. Not taking the podium was immaturity. Once he gets to take in all of the backlash, he will realize his poor judgement and, hopefully, sing a different tune.

 

[zrinkill]

fast forward to the 5:55 mark
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19xH1gNWxt4
oh **** where are the Mavericks going? cant be going straight to the locker room? Where is Dirk going?

:laugh2:

I was disappointed in Lebron though.

 

[The Panch]

He helped his team win Gold in the Olympics.

IMO, I dont consider it Team USA "winning" the Gold medal. I just consider it them doing what they were supposed to do....dominate inferior competition. They werent facing the best of the best, cause most of the best were on their team.

 

[RESIN8]

I'm sorry but after giving it my all and coming up short the last thing I want to do is face the stupid media with those stupid questions. Probably better to duck out than have some Ryan Leaf reaction to some media hack.

Fans looking for an explanation need to get a life and realize that all this sports stuff is just a reality break from your daily life.

 

[RESIN8]

Of course Laker fans call it a classless move. Anything to help separate Kobe from LeBron..At least LeBron didn't get caught cheating on his hot wife. Ya that story kind of got swept of the rug..

Lets see..a poor sport VS a cheating husband..hmmm which would I want my kid to be more like..

Or even worse a rat bastid. How the heck are you gonna rat someone out to save face? Still tp this day I see no idea why Kobe brought up Shaq's name in his rape case.