LABron James Discussion: The Final Year?

I just realized, don't know if it's my purple and gold shades on, or has Lebron flopped a lot less this year? Seemed to notice it a lot more in previous seasons. Curious.

 

Oh definitely. I think he even gave it up as a Laker? Must know Laker fans know Kobe hated it.

 

he definitely has flopped less

given less chaffing interviews

he's been on his best behavior overall I think

 

He flopped once all year. He has played as good as you can for a 35 year old in his 17th year.

 

I love LeBron as a basketball player. I followed him all his career. This dude is the most gifted basketball player I've ever seen. If he wants to score, defend, rebound, pass, etc., he can do it at a high level. Watching him still destroy the league 17 years later is something spectacular. But let's call it what it is... Outside of basketball, LeBron is an opportunist who strikes when he sees fit.

• His school is mostly publicly funded. Yes, LeBron contributes to it but the media makes it seem as if LeBron is personally funding the entirety of it.
• His school is NOT the one paying for the college scholarships. LeBron continues preaching about it and the media bites it all up because they want to be in LeBron's good favor. The University of Akron is guaranteeing the college scholarships. Meaning, if they say we will no longer support it, the kids won't be getting their college education. This is valued at over $100+ million dollars. Sorry but LeBron isn't paying for it.
• For COVID-19, Drew Brees donated $5 million to Louisiana. His foundation has donated $33 million across numerous organizations. When Drew Brees stated that he wanted to stand and salute the flag/anthem, LeBron attacked him publicly. LeBron can easily contact Drew Brees if he wanted. He knows Drew Brees is an incredibly nice guy. Instead, he went to social media in front of his 70+ million followers to publicly shame and ruin Drew Brees's career. Think about it... Drew Brees donates $5 million and you rarely read anything about it. LeBron shames Drew Brees and everyone attacks Drew Brees. LeBron knew what he was doing. Drew Brees retracted his statement to then clarify that what he said was a 'mistake.' No, Drew Brees gave his opinion and has every right to do so. LeBron effectively silenced him. Drew Brees likely lost endorsements, friends, and relationships with his teammates. Thanks, LeBron. Standing up for the flag/anthem is now considered treacherous. Meanwhile....
  
• Remember when Daryl Morey stated that Hong Kong should be free and that China shouldn't intervene with their rights? LeBron, fearing that it would affect his bottom line, stated that Morey should not speak if he doesn't have knowledge of the situation. Daryl Morey is one of the smartest dudes in the NBA. You don't get an MBA from MIT by being average. He has much more credibility in terms of intelligence than LeBron James. But of course, LeBron was quick to shut Morey down.
  
• LeBron preaches about equality... So much for equality when Nike has consistently used manufacturers that employ children and have horrible working conditions. LeBron's sneakers, jerseys, products... made in China by people who earn a dollar a day. But equality, am I right?
• LeBron praised Stephen Jackson when Jackson voiced his frustrations over George Floyd's death. "I'm with you all the way." - LeBron James. But hey, Stephen Jackson is allowed to make anti-semitic comments and openly attack Jews. LeBron was right... he was with Stephen Jackson all the way. He didn't make any post shutting Stephen Jackson down. He didn't defend Jewish people. He attacked Drew Brees for wanting to salute the flag but stood quiet and shied away from Stephen Jackson's comments. When Nick Cannon doubled down and made even more disgusting comments towards Jews, LeBron stated nothing. Dwyane Wade openly praised Cannon's and supported him and once again, no one said anything. LeBron, as he knows best, only strikes when he sees dollar signs.

Look, I think we all know LeBron is an all-time great NBA player. I love and support him as a basketball player and it ends there. But I prefer Jordan and Kobe more off the court. They were real. What you saw on the court, you saw off the court. LeBron wants to be an activist because he knows it increases his brand value. I guarantee you someone as calculated as LeBron sees his philanthropies as an investment for his own bank account rather than doing it purely for good.

A lot of these athletes are not educated on the issues. I don't blame them - they're rich and busy. They don't have time to read articles and follow every issue out there. I didn't blame LeBron for not speaking out against China openly pressuring Hong Kong to conform when Hong Kong'ers have lived their entire lives a certain way. But the moment you open your mouth trying to shut someone down while preaching about injustice, you're simply an opportunist.

 

Always good to read opposing views of those not stuck in the worship cycle. I'm sure the truth lands somewhere in the middle.

But imagine being the guy who so many guys look to on lots of topics even when you aren't qualified to have a great opinion. Passion and good intent doesn't always equal a quality take, and for better for worse, those in the public eye are completely scrutinized for good or bad. It's a rough gig for most people, but their feelings are dismissed because they are so wealthy.

The bubble isn't something all that new for these guys. They all live in somewhat of a bubble. Most of them have to have gated properties with security to live safely. it can't be easy.

But at this stage of their careers, I still find a humbled Dwight Howard a more likable individual. I think if Lebron mixed in some humbleness, he would get cut more slack. Instead he seems to be buying his own hype and doubling down on a completely different approach. I don't think it has a happy ending personally.

 

Hmm I'll leave at this - Bill Gates not only was smart enough to get into Harvard which by definition is the elite of the elite, thru his dad he had access to the UW computer lab where he learned how to program as a teenager which most even very smart kids did not have access to that time. I personally like Bill Gates and have no animus towards him (Zuckerbag OTOH I think is a scumbag IMO) but I would argue he had two huge breaks: one genetic and one situational that he did not create on his own.

I will stick by my argument that Iverson was great but that he didn't maximize his abilities. Iverson never once broke top 10 in assists and many years in his prime wasn't even in the top 20: for a guy his size, who had the ball in his hands as much as he did, that was a huge flaw in his game that he never corrected. He was a high usage low efficiency scorer who despite his great career could have been more. And I'd argue Iverson was a genetic freak: incredible endurance and quickness - dude should have been a soccer player. (the best basketball athletes I've ever seen live from the 80's IMO are Nique, MJ, Iverson, Shaq, Carter, Lebron. Now Zion?. I'm not sure what do with little guys like Spud and Nate Robinson: those guys were just as amazing)

 

He was an amazing high school QB but at that time QB's if you were just 6 feet tall the prevailing wisdom was that you couldn't succeed in the NFL.
Basketball is still the safer sport to make it big but now with the success of Brees and Wilson one wonders what might have been.
lol: I just looked it up they thought he would have been all state defensive back as well. Yep he was a freak

 

very efficient

he passes it to others when he's dribbled out the clock and makes them take challenged 3's, and that way it only affects their shooting percentages

in that way, he can blame others when he doesn't succeed.

 

Most basketball players with freakish athleticism would transition to soccer seamlessly. Almost the same game from a concept point.

 

No

(Sorry, couldn't help myself)

AI would be a pretty lethal striker if he had foot handles like he had handles though. Would be fun to watch.