Why I No Longer Hate LeBron

[D.o.s.]

I think Bosh is a great second option to have on your team.

A problem I forsee in Miami is the transition from Wade to Bosh in that second option role.

[lightspeed5]

Actually, from what I understand about him--which, admittedly, comes mostly from puff pieces and the like--I'd say that Bosh is probably one of the more likeable dudes on the Heat. The guy chose his college for academic reasons(!), has a foundation that emphasizes children's literacy and generally seems like a dork in the Tim Duncan mold.

I can't muster up dislike for someone like that.

Yeah, I'm sure Bosh is a nice dude.


I think my dislike of Bosh comes mainly from the fact that he has the talent to be a superstar franchise player but he's so content to be a third banana on the Heat, and he disappears frequently even in big games.  But I guess you have to respect his willingness to be just a role player and only do what is demanded of him.  Clearly it's a winning formula for the Heat.

Though I do think if the Heat are going to continue being a great team beyond the next couple of years, Bosh will need to step up.  Because Wade doesn't have a lot of time left as a star player.

[freshinthehouse]

Since I wasn't watching NBA at that time - I wonder if MJ got the same "treatment" from non-bulls-fans NBA followers.

I know that I hated him in his playing days.  I always rooted for the Bulls to lose.

[Celtics18]

Since I wasn't watching NBA at that time - I wonder if MJ got the same "treatment" from non-bulls-fans NBA followers.

Yeah, I've long thought that I would have hated the Bulls, and been really disappointed that there weren't more parity in the league.  But I think eventually I would have just reached a point where I appreciate seeing history being made by the greatest player ever.

I was old enough to watch Jordan's peak through high school and some of college and I despised him and looked for any excuse to downplay everything he accomplished.  When I grew up, I regretted it - I missed out on appreciating maybe the best player ever at his peak but I let good guy/bad guy narratives get in the way.  It's a major reason why I've tried to get over my dislike of LeBron and appreciate what a phenomenal talent he is - at least when he's not playing Boston. 

You only get to see so many guys of that caliber in a lifetime, and odds are most to all of them won't be wearing your favorite color shirt. 

LeBron was on the verge of blowing the ECF last year, and he rallied and crushed his biggest nemesis in their house, then pulled away in Game 7.  He had 2 horrible turnovers and a brutal brick late in Game 6, and he immediately came right back and drained the next 3, and with some help won that game and played a brilliant Game 7, including making the biggest shot of the game.  Anyone who claims to be a fan of the game's gotta respect that.

I learned how to simultaneously respect and hate players a long time ago.  I think it was probably Jordan who taught me how to do that. 

There aren't really any players I hate whose games i don't respect to some degree (well, maybe Reggie Evans is the exception . . . and Matt Barnes--heck, I even respect those guys' game to a certain extent). 

[fairweatherfan]

There aren't really any players I hate whose games i don't respect to some degree (well, maybe Reggie Evans is the exception . . . and Matt Barnes--heck, I even respect those guys' game to a certain extent). 

I respect Reggie Evans' game since acquiring him late-season helped me beat some of the very finest posters here in the fantasy playoffs.   

[airbelinelli]

As a huge Bulls and Jordan fan, it took me awhile to have lebron grow on me, especially after he went to Miami, but at the end of the day you have to appreciate what he can do.

He'll never be as much of a fan favorite with ridiculous shots to win the game like Kobe or Jordan, but his physicality, efficiency etc just make him something special. He's different from the two of them, and may never get the same love and recognition they have, but he was just built to play the game of basketball, and the last thing you want to do is not appreciate greatness when you get to see it.

[saltlover]

I hate LeBron.  He's easy to hate.  He gloats, he flops, he whines about every call that he doesn't get, even though he gets way more calls than he should, and he throws teammates under the bus when need be.  I find him to be a bit of a bully, and not merely in a competitive way.

That said, he's without question the best player in the NBA.  That he wasn't the unanimous MVP this year was a joke.  He came up huge in this series when he needed to.  He single-handedly kept them in the game in the 4th quarter of game 6, and he just nailed jumper after jumper tonight, while being a fierce rebounder and very active in the passing lanes.  I'm not sure the Heat without LeBron are any better than the Celtics without Rondo.

I hate him, but I acknowledge that he is in a class by himself in the NBA right now.

[WeMadeIt17]

Cant stand him. Great player.. Still cant stand him.

[D.o.s.]

he whines about every call that he doesn't get

That's my biggest complaint about his game right now. For someone who said he should've snagged DPOY he spends a whole lot of time complaining to the refs instead of getting back on D.

[Celtics18]

As a huge Bulls and Jordan fan, it took me awhile to have lebron grow on me, especially after he went to Miami, but at the end of the day you have to appreciate what he can do.

He'll never be as much of a fan favorite with ridiculous shots to win the game like Kobe or Jordan, but his physicality, efficiency etc just make him something special. He's different from the two of them, and may never get the same love and recognition they have, but he was just built to play the game of basketball, and the last thing you want to do is not appreciate greatness when you get to see it.

The bolded part of your comment is interesting, and it's actually something I was thinking about in terms of why it might be harder for many fans to like Lebron James than other great players to have played the game.

More than possibly any other player that I can remember seeing play the game, James was, indeed, built--physically--to play the game of basketball.  I don't want to take away from his abilities.  He's a great passer (for a guy with his size and athleticism), he's a great shooter (for a guy with his size and athleticism), he's got great handles (for a guy with his size and athleticism). 

But, if you are a young player (or even an old player--like me), you can't really try to emulate him.  As mortals, we simply can't hope to add to our games what Lebron James has.  It's physically impossible.  We can work on Tony Parker's spin moves, Rajon Rondo's ball fakes, Kobe Bryant's fall aways, Chris Paul's handles, Ray Allen shooting stroke, but we can't try to incorporate Lebron James' physical dominance into our own games.  It's not something we can work on and improve at. 

This makes him hard to relate to.  It's not his fault.  But, it's something to consider.  Basically, it's a bit unfair to the rest of the basketball playing world (and in some ways also to himself) that Lebron James was built like he was. 

[LarBrd33]

I've never hated LeBron.  Ever since the kid was a Senior in High School, people have been waiting to see him fail.  I've watched him every step of the way.

Nationally televised High school game?  Kid dominated.

100 million from Nike before ever stepping onto an NBA court?... kid lives up to hype.

First game ever for the Cavs?  20, 5 and 5.

High school to the pros rookie season?... very little learning curve... immediately an impact player.

Proved as a youngster with crap teammmates he could lead a team to the Finals. 

Proved he could win a title

Every step of the way this kid has managed to exceed insane expectations.  Tonight was another beautiful example of it.  Nailing clutch shot after clutch shot while essentially carrying his dead-weight fellow "superstars" (Wade was pretty dreadful for most of the playoffs, but he had his moments... Bosh was horrible at times).

There's nothing you can really criticize him for.  He's a living legend. 

I said this in another thread, but I'll say it again.  I remember being like 9 years old when Magic Johnson announced he was retiring.  I knew it was a terrible thing, but I initially had trouble really grasping how serious it was.  A sick part of my child mind was actually happy that Magic was out of the league.  Magic was the enemy.  That was one less road block for Larry and the Celtics.  Of course, Bird retired about a year later.

Same when Jordan retired the first time.  As a child, I was a Larry Bird fan.  Jordan was the enemy.  He's the guy who went off on Boston for 63 points in the playoffs, but lost the game.  I didn't like Jordan.  I wasn't rooting for Jordan.  JOrdan was a threat to the legacy of the Celtics.  Although Boston was irrelevant, I was happy to see Jordan retire.  I think there were plenty of people who hated Jordan in the early years.

Then when Jordan came back... all bets were off.  How could you NOT root for #45?  That was a great story.  I was obsessed.  I cut out clippings from the newspaper.  It was awesome.

When Magic came back briefly in 95-96 as "Buff Johnson", it was impossible not to root for him. 

I don't you appreciate just how amazing these guys are until they leave.  The "Witness" campaign was legit.  We are all witnessing history with LeBron James.  Dude is absolutely incredible and I'm glad I'm alive to see him play.

[The Rondo Show]

This was well said and I respect what you're saying, but I still will never be able to respect him on the level that I respect other all time greats

[Kay.Bee09]

I've always respected his game, but I've grown up watching the NBA and I can't fathom the thought that three top 20 players, two in their prime and one at the end, teamed up to win a championship.

Like I said, I grew up watching the league, so I can remember the Bulls, the Supersonics,the Rockets, the Jazz, the Spurs, the Magic, the Trail Blazers, etc, in the 90s. Yes, the Bulls did dominate the majorly, but there was still competition, passion, and heart. I loved the fact that talent was so spread out and players left their hearts on the court. Barkley, Malone, and Stockton didn't even win rings, but I have so much more respect for them than LeBron. It's hard to explain. I guess if you weren't a fan during the 90s, you wouldn't understand, but I've lost so much interest for the NBA now because it seems all about hype, fame, and money and less about the game itself.

Props to LeBron for finally stepping up when it counts, but it still just doesn't seem as authentic.

[D.o.s.]

I've always respected his game, but I've grown up watching the NBA and I can't fathom the thought that three top 20 players, two in their prime and one at the end, teamed up to win a championship.

Like I said, I grew up watching the league, so I can remember the Bulls, the Supersonics,the Rockets, the Jazz, the Spurs, the Magic, the Trail Blazers, etc, in the 90s. Yes, the Bulls did dominate the majorly, but there was still competition, passion, and heart. I loved the fact that talent was so spread out and players left their hearts on the court. Barkley, Malone, and Stockton didn't even win rings, but I have so much more respect for them than LeBron. It's hard to explain. I guess if you weren't a fan during the 90s, you wouldn't understand, but I've lost so much interest for the NBA now because it seems all about hype, fame, and money and less about the game itself.

Props to LeBron for finally stepping up when it counts, but it still just doesn't seem as authentic.

I'm pretty sure that's a combination of hindsight bias, selective memory, and a reaction to about 150,000% more media coverage talking.

[Yoki_IsTheName]

Never really hated his game. Heck, i want my future kids to be playing basketball and patterning their game on him.

I just hate the fact that he ran away from the challenge and chose the easy way out of winning a championship. I understand he needed help and all but I hated the fact that with the talent that he has, he had to join two superstars to win.

But all in all, LeBron is the BEST player of this generation and everyone has to respect that.