Is there really a better way to go when in doubt? Bill Clinton never slept with Monica Lewinsky, O.J. Simpson didn’t kill his wife, and Barry Bonds never knowingly took steroids.
So it’s no surprise to see LeBron James follow suit.
As far as LeBron knows, everybody still loves him. (US Presswire)
“That’s what keeps me humble, because I know my background, know what my mother went through. I never get too high on my stardom or what I can do. My mom always says, and my friends say, ‘You’re just a very low-maintenance guy.’”
This coming from a guy who nationally televised his free agency plans for an hour long segment on ESPN?
I think I speak for everyone when I say, “gag me”.
It has been over a month since the “LeBacle” and while the damage is irreparable in my opinion, James has failed to even attempt to fix his beloved “brand”.
The aforementioned quote comes from an interview done by J.R. Moehringer of GQ which will be available in its entirety August 24th.
On his decision to head to Miami, James said that those close to him “see me happy. That’s what they can see in my face. They say: ‘It’s been a while since we’ve seen you look like that.’”
Whatever let’s you sleep at night.
Whether it was someone within James’ inner circle or Rabbai Yishayahu Yosef Pinto who prescribed a large dose, James’ denial is so imminent that it would make Simpson, Bonds, and Clinton proud.
One of the more beloved athletes not too long ago, those days for James couldn’t be any further in his rear view mirror.
We can all agree that the stunt he pulled on ESPN was an embarrassment and a blatant ego boost. While his decision will give him the best chance to win, don’t bother comparing this to Kevin Garnett joining forces with Ray Allen and Paul Pierce with the Boston Celtics. James’ interview aside, Garnett went to the Celtics at age 31 after twelve seasons of trying to win a championship as “the guy”. Garnett also advanced past the first round once due to the lack of talent put around him throughout his time in Minnesota. Garnett is a great player and a Hall of Famer when he’s finished, but he was never going to be placed in the air that James was headed towards had he won titles as “the guy”.
Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way let’s look at what James has done since. James has been criticized by every big name in the sport from Michael Jordan to Charles Barkley to Magic Johnson as they all agreed that LeBron took the easy way out going to Miami showing no competitive fire.
James decided to response through his recently made twitter account saying, “Don’t think for one min that I haven’t been taking mental notes of everyone taking shots at me this summer. And I mean everyone!,”
Then in the GQ interview, when asked about Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, LeBron said “I don’t think he ever cared about LeBron”.
If LeBron truly believed in everything he was saying from his previous team’s owner not caring about him to being happier with his decision to being a low-maintenance guy, he’d laugh at it all. He wouldn’t go out of his way to tweet his revenge or refer to himself in third person.
If there are any who disagree with me, please tell me of anyone you know that refers to themselves in third person that isn’t a tool.
Do you hear the crickets too?
Wherever James has appeared, he’s either refused to speak or been booed by the crowd or a combination of both.
James’ brand has always been on the top of his agenda, but he will probably find a way to skew the fact that his image has gone down in flames (pun intended).
“I understand now that I’ve made the right decision.”
That may have been so at the time of the segment, but with the backlash that James is receiving, it wouldn’t surprise me if James continues to justify his choices.
James considers himself to be humble, but I’m scratching my head to figure out how.
Maybe if we look at it from James’ perspective. That one hour segment could’ve been two.
