I Don't "Hate" Lebron...but

[D.o.s.]

  As for his being entitled and concerned about his legacy, I don't know if you can say that he is really worse than the guys who came before him.  The perception of him is, no doubt, but none of the other all-timers faced nearly the same level of scrutiny as LeBron.  None of them had to deal with every comment they made being spread around the world and overanalyzed by everyone within an hour.  People are complaining about the national media pumping up LeBron; well, with every huge superstar before LeBron the only things you ever heard about players were through the national media.  Do you think the public perception of Jordan would have been as positive if when he punched Steve Kerr in practice, a TMZ video of it was all over Youtube and he was being mocked on Twitter for it by the next day? 

There's some truth to that but the flip side is LeBron gets defended/excused by the media in a way that none of the previous greats ever would have been.  I mean, LeBron in his prime lost to a Dallas team that was, arguably, inferior to every single team Jordan and the Bulls beat for titles and LeBron got pantsed in a couple of 4th quarters by Jason Terry of all people.  Yet, that significant failure has had zero impact on LeBron's reputation and legacy.

Mike

That's an absurd statement on the face of it -- James faced a mountain of scrutiny after the 2011 Finals.

[LarBrd33]

he'll simply never be in the same class as Jordan, Russell, Bird, Johnson. even if he wins 18 rings all by himself.

and the main reason why I've come to this conclusion occurred last night. I believe it was the 1st or 2nd qrtr. Lebron was attempting a bounce pass  from the high post to a guy cutting to the basket, the ball hit a spurs leg, knee or foot(I had just turned the game on and the play happened to fast) Lebron stops expecting a kick ball call but the ball bounces right back to him with no call made. Lebron turns the ball over and while his teammates start to run down the court Lebron takes the time to yell at the official.

now, i'm sure if that play on the no-call had lead to a heat basket i'm pretty sure Lebron wouldn't have said a word to the official and likely would've been the 1st guy back down the court. all he had to do was keep playing,  he made the mistake. "play to the whistle" right?

then the ruling on the parker out of bounds play? he goes up to the official and rolls his eyes and keeps telling the official sarcastically "ok, ok, ok, ok"

it's this self entitlement and the expectancy of everything being handed to him and him quick to jump to blame someone else and "it can't be me that's the problem, i'm great" vibe he gives off.

i'm not saying past greats didn't have or do some of what Lebron is doing. i'm saying they handled it a lot better and had more class in the process.

if he would just play on the court and not be so blatant about his self entitlement he wouldn't look like such a ****.

Nah.

LeBron will go down as a Top 3 or 5 player.  He's incredible. 

We could have nitpicked tons of things had the internet existed in previous generations.  Larry Bird is obviously my hero, for instance... but I tend to think he'd be labelled a classless headcase by modern standards.  Picking fist-fights with players in pre-season, messing around and shooting left handed for a game, costing the Celtics the 1985 Championship by reportedly getting in a bar fight between games 2 and 3 of the NBA Finals, abandoning his daughter, etc... Didn't make him any less of a legendary player.

Step off the high horse.  You don't have to like LeBron, but accept the fact that he's a basketball god. 



Seriously though, considering the unprecedented magnifying glass this dude has been under since high school... it's uncanny how he's been able to exceed expectations every step of the way.  Incredible.  Nike gave him 100 mil before he played a single NBA game... I remember the forums filled with people calling him "LeBust"... he had a lackluster preseason... then Game 1 of his professional career he put up 25, 5 and 5... He's systematically shut up every critic from that point on...consistently improving to become unquestionably one of the greatest to ever play the game.

[ACF]

I blame pop culture. Everyone wants to root for a winner. It's kind of sad really, because I've never enjoyed watching James play and most likely never will. Too much GOAT talk from people who've never heard of Bill Russell or Wilt or Dr. J (just to name a few) and never bothered to read about some of those guys. Too much slobbering from the people at ESPN, with their Heat Index and whatnot. My favorite player will probably always be Paul Pierce and I want him to do well. But that doesn't change where my loyalty is, even if we should go 8-74. I know some will say that doesn't make me a better fan. And that may be true. But I take pride in not hopping on whatever bandwagon being hot at the moment.

[Chief]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mm-vU1ddjM4

[GreenWarrior]

the level to which Lebron was hyped before entering the NBA certainly wasn't his fault. the media/espn did the same with Shaq. but going out and getting "KING" tattooed on yourself certainly was.

everyone complains that "Lebron is picked on" whenever anyone questions just how "great" he is. I think he's done enough on his own to open himself to scrutiny.

I've mentioned Shaq twice now when comparing him to Lebron. Shaq faced similar espn hype, maybe not as much because the internet was still in its infancy. but for his time it was probably equal to. so has Shaq ever been perceived as a baby? as a wuss? someone that was concerned about his legacy? he was pretty much chasing rings his whole career, something many have said Lebron is doing by going to Miami. no the only negative about Shaq was the stuff with Kobe(outside of bitter Orlando fans), and most would agree that kobe came up looking like a tool in that situation.

so why has Shaq been able to overcome all of these and primarily being perceived as likeble and respectable? where 10 yrs. from now i'm willing to bet we'll have more legit  reasons to not like Lebron.

[D.o.s.]

the level to which Lebron was hyped before entering the NBA certainly wasn't his fault. the media/espn did the same with Shaq. but going out and getting "KING" tattooed on yourself certainly was.

everyone complains that "Lebron is picked on" whenever anyone questions just how "great" he is. I think he's done enough on his own to open himself to scrutiny.

I've mentioned Shaq twice now when comparing him to Lebron. Shaq faced similar espn hype, maybe not as much because the internet was still in its infancy. but for his time it was probably equal to. so has Shaq ever been perceived as a baby? as a wuss? someone that was concerned about his legacy? he was pretty much chasing rings his whole career, something many have said Lebron is doing by going to Miami. no the only negative about Shaq was the stuff with Kobe(outside of bitter Orlando fans), and most would agree that kobe came up looking like a tool in that situation.

so why has Shaq been able to overcome all of these and primarily being perceived as likeble and respectable? where 10 yrs. from now i'm willing to bet we'll have more legit  reasons to not like Lebron.

Because Shaq is an inherently likeable dude.

[SHAQATTACK]

He is the difference maker .  Like MJ.....he who has Lebron with all else equal wins.

[Celtics4ever]

Being a great player is one thing but he has demonstrated a level of hubris that I think turns off many people.   I root against him a lot but I don't hope the dude dies, I reserve that vitriol for Lakers.          JK

[mgent]

the level to which Lebron was hyped before entering the NBA certainly wasn't his fault. the media/espn did the same with Shaq. but going out and getting "KING" tattooed on yourself certainly was.

everyone complains that "Lebron is picked on" whenever anyone questions just how "great" he is. I think he's done enough on his own to open himself to scrutiny.

I've mentioned Shaq twice now when comparing him to Lebron. Shaq faced similar espn hype, maybe not as much because the internet was still in its infancy. but for his time it was probably equal to. so has Shaq ever been perceived as a baby? as a wuss? someone that was concerned about his legacy? he was pretty much chasing rings his whole career, something many have said Lebron is doing by going to Miami. no the only negative about Shaq was the stuff with Kobe(outside of bitter Orlando fans), and most would agree that kobe came up looking like a tool in that situation.

so why has Shaq been able to overcome all of these and primarily being perceived as likeble and respectable? where 10 yrs. from now i'm willing to bet we'll have more legit  reasons to not like Lebron.

It's mostly due to the things that LeBron says/does vs the things that Shaq said/did. 

[Moranis]

the level to which Lebron was hyped before entering the NBA certainly wasn't his fault. the media/espn did the same with Shaq. but going out and getting "KING" tattooed on yourself certainly was.

everyone complains that "Lebron is picked on" whenever anyone questions just how "great" he is. I think he's done enough on his own to open himself to scrutiny.

I've mentioned Shaq twice now when comparing him to Lebron. Shaq faced similar espn hype, maybe not as much because the internet was still in its infancy. but for his time it was probably equal to. so has Shaq ever been perceived as a baby? as a wuss? someone that was concerned about his legacy? he was pretty much chasing rings his whole career, something many have said Lebron is doing by going to Miami. no the only negative about Shaq was the stuff with Kobe(outside of bitter Orlando fans), and most would agree that kobe came up looking like a tool in that situation.

so why has Shaq been able to overcome all of these and primarily being perceived as likeble and respectable? where 10 yrs. from now i'm willing to bet we'll have more legit  reasons to not like Lebron.

Because Shaq is an inherently likeable dude.

so is Lebron.

[D.o.s.]

Not in the same way. LeBron's not nearly as gregarious, nor is he nearly as in control of his own legacy. Shaq was always aware of his own narrative, and took steps to make sure that he was in the driver's seat when it came to what people thought of him. That was an active decision, and something a lot of people don't realize when it comes to how Shaq approached his career.

[celticsclay]

shaq wasn't afraid to laugh at himself, LeBron is. I have always been a Celtics fan first and foremost, but I loved Shaq and his shoes and basketball cards when I was a kid. I even loved him at the end of his career for that final half season in green. I think the NBA will be a better place when Lebron retires/fades and feel a lot happier  watching someone like KD be the face of the game.

[Moranis]

yeah but Shaq was and is an ****.  Don't get me wrong, I find Shaq funny and am always amused by him, but he really is an ****.  People just don't seem to care, which I also find amusing.

[ImShakHeIsShaq]

Now wait a minute, get off my guy and back on subject Lol. 

[GreenWarrior]

Not in the same way. LeBron's not nearly as gregarious, nor is he nearly as in control of his own legacy.

so true! it seems the more he wins & the more he tries, the more he ends up looking like a tool.