Probably not. Unless you’re the hardcore fan, subscribing to the NBA package and tuning in to every contest, there’s a good chance you missed that one.
But did you see what LeBron James had to say on Twitter?
Of course you did.
King James has 1,263,388 followers and counting, and if you’re reading this, you’re probably one of them — or likely will be after a couple of clicks.
So you know that the King got himself into trouble once again this week for opening his big mouth — or his thumbs, as it were. Or maybe it was someone else’s thumbs, it’s hard to say. In any event, someone tweeted something on the King’s account this week about how “Karma is a [bleep],” and it may or may not have been a reference to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and it may or may not have come from James himself. His explanation isn’t exactly clear.
This, of course, launches us into another round of LeBron psychoanalysis, with everyone digging to get to the bottom of this and find the truth about the Miami Heat star’s character. Is he trying to be the villain? Is he really the good guy? What does this all mean?
Well, here’s another answer that no one seems to be considering — you could ignore his character and simply realize that he’s the best basketball player on the planet.
The bottom line is that LeBron took a lot of talents to South Beach. The man is 26 years old, he’s entering the prime of his career, and at this point, he’s basically the best at everything. He’s the best all-around athlete, the best ballhandler, the best passer, the best defender, and while the numbers might be skewed because he often has five guys guarding him at once, he’s the best scorer as well.
Maybe it’s because everyone’s just bored of talking about LeBron’s brilliant all-around game, since we’ve all been doing it for seven-plus years, but it sure does seem backward that all we can discuss is his Twitter page.
James is the biggest reason the Heat won 21 of 22 games over a magnificent stretch in December and January, vaulting nearly to the top of the Eastern Conference at 30-11. His absence, after he rolled his ankle late in the Heat’s loss Wednesday night to the Clippers, is the biggest reason they’ve lost their last two.
Win or lose, his impact is always felt.
Yet the biggest headlines come from what he has to say about the laughable Cleveland Cavaliers, who are 8-30 and no longer have anything to do with anything.
It can’t all be blamed on the media and the fans. LeBron perpetuates some of this himself. He may play coy like he’s trying to downplay these melodramas, but he’s feeding into it. He’s constantly asked about controversial topics that he knows will make headlines — tweets, Nike commercials and NBA contraction, to name a few — and he could sidestep them. He could say “no comment, let’s talk about tonight’s game,” but instead he opens his mouth. That’s on him.
But we, the people, have a say in this matter. We can choose to tune out all the side chatter. We don’t have to reduce pro basketball to the level of professional wrestling, with athletes playing “characters,” hero and villain. Instead, we can try something a little different — watching basketball.
What’s most important is this: LeBron James is the greatest basketball talent of this generation, and no tweet should make us lose sight of that.
Watch the games. You might discover what all the hype is about.
Do you feel that LeBron James is being mistreated by the fans and media? Share your thoughts below.
