The band leader of the I hate LBJ movement, Skip Bayless of ESPN tweeted the following yesterday:
Now Scottie Pippen says LeBron>MJ comment "taken out of context." Nope. Context was LeBron riding high after beating Bulls. Pippen plunged.
This is after the season ending and humiliating loss to the new NBA champions Dallas Mavericks. This is weeks after LBJ has eaten humble pie on a world stage by not capturing the ring and playing sub-standard in the NBA finals.
The haters got their pound of flesh and want more.
Now don't get me wrong, I am not a huge LBJ fan...yes I was rooting for the Heat (got fam that lives in Miami Beach) but it was not a live or die situation - this status is saved for my beloved Sixers.
I am just not down with this irrational hate movement - except for maybe Cleveland fans. Yes, LBJ could have handle the Decision better. Yes, he should not have predicted mucho rings (next time just paint a target on your back).
Give it a rest folks. Cleveland Cavs owner Dan Gilbert had sufficient time to surround James with the type of support Magic got in LA, Bird had in Boston and MJ had in Chi-town.
LBJ made Gilbert's Cavs a very profitable franchise and he still refused to provide James with the requisite talent necessary to win the ring.
I will not go as far as saying the haters are treating LBJ like a runaway slave - this would belittle the repugnant legacy of that strange institution.
But I will say this, y'all haters treat him like a pimp treats his top girl who just discovered religion - with contempt...how dare she leave the compound.
Give it a rest Skip...you won, LBJ and Heat lost. Can't you savior the victory without marinating in Hate!
I love this post!
ReplyDeleteThe Heat haters are looking a bit sketchy.
Folks idolize sports figures that have had DUIs, domestic abuse issues, gun records and other issues.
But so many people are hating on LBJ, just because he wanted to play ball and win a championship with his friends.
Folks think it's ok when wealthy team owners create and trade stars to create a superteam--but the haters come out when a group of young Black men use free agency to create their own dream team!!
Like most sports fans i've followed Lebron since he came into the NBA. I find it really strange that this man has had a bullseye on his back from day one.
ReplyDeleteAs you've mentioned, should he have handle his move to Miami a different way? Of course. But it seems to me that no matter what he'll continue to be a punching bag for some people.
Take the GQ cover where people said it was racist, basically portraying him like King Kong.
Take his statement after the playoffs. I took it the same way he eventually came out and clarified for people.
Our lives will go on. Thats all he was trying to say.
The perception now is that people can get under his skin. My suggestion for him is to understand that, prepare for it, accept it.
Because it'll get worse before it gets better.
"The perception now is that people can get under his skin. My suggestion for him is to understand that, prepare for it, accept it"
ReplyDelete@Invisible Man. I agree with this statement and believe this is the next step for LBJ to take. However, what post game comments were you referring to?
@Duchess
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the comment. I agree that the double standard is dubious at best... when you say:
"Folks think it's ok when wealthy team owners create and trade stars to create a superteam--but the haters come out when a group of young Black men use free agency to create their own dream team!!"
Like Arsenio Hall jokes, these are things that make one say...Hmmmm!
@healthysouls:
ReplyDeleteAt the press conference after the last game of the series Lebron made this statement which the press ran with and a lot of people excepted as him knocking those who didnt have his fame, money etc. Knocking those that have "ordinary" lives.
“All the people that were rooting on me to fail, at the end of the day, they have to wake up tomorrow and have the same life that they had before they woke up today. They have the same personal problems they had today. I’m going to continue to live the way I want to live and continue to do the things that I want to do with me and my family and be happy with that. They can get a few days or a few months or whatever the case may be on being happy about not only myself, but the Miami Heat not accomplishing their goal. But they have to get back to the real world at some point.”
By the way, love the blog and it's a daily stop for me.
PS...I sent you an email once about advertising and never heard from you! Maybe it was just overlooked.
Peace
@Invisible Man. Thanx for the comment. I missed the email can u resend and I will be on alert. peace
ReplyDeleteLBJ gets what he deserves until he wins a championship. He made his bed and now he has to lie in it. He's no different that some rich kid bragging about his white suit only to have a truck splash mud all over it. Everyone else is happy and everytime mud splashes on the brat they laugh. LBJ's situation is different from Magic's because Magic was drafted onto a team of all stars and he made them that much better. Same with Bird in Boston because McHale, Parrish, Dj and the rest were already there. MJ simple carried the Bulls. Pippen was a good wing man but he was no D Wade. That team had Bill Cartright, Kerr, and a bunch of no names. MJ in his prime would have won with the Cavs because he never came up small in a big game.
ReplyDeleteI'm a Sixers fan too. Too bad they couldn't trade Iguldada
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@thanos I was born in philly and i am a die hard sixers fan...but I take issue wit ya. How many rings does magic have without kareem - zero; how many rings MJ has without Pippin - zero; how many rings Doc J has without Moses - zero NBA rings; how many rings Bird has without his hall of fame supporting cast - zero. LBJ made Gilbert's franchise mad rich and Gilbert tried to build on the cheap - nuff said. You right bout one thing, sixers need to dump AI .
ReplyDelete