"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," he told reporters down in Miami. "They have the same personal problems they had. I'm going to continue to live the way I want to live."
It was a pretty rude statement, a blunt rejection of all the middle Americans who'd booed him during his route to the NBA Finals this spring. He's not listening to them. They're beneath him.
It might not be the right thing to say when you're in LeBron's position, trying to win back a nation of fans who turned against you a year ago. But LeBron had no energy left to say the right things. He was an emotional wreck, beaten down by an entire season of criticism.
That might be unfair.
LeBron has been public enemy No. 1 in pro sports since he made his "Decision" to migrate south last July. He's been booed in every city but Miami and scrutinized in every media outlet. He's been under more pressure than any athlete in history.
It's a little outrageous. So LeBron left Ohio for South Florida. Won't we ever get over it? Can't we ever get back to appreciating him as one of the world's most talented athletes? How much longer must we villainize someone who did nothing illegal and never meant to offend a soul?
So LeBron made a callous comment in a presser after losing the NBA Finals. You would, too. He'd just been on trial for 11 months straight. Seemingly every question he got was like a military tribunal. Most athletes are asked for simple cliches about giving 110 percent, one game at a time. LeBron got grilled for answers. How come you failed, LeBron? Where's your aggression, LeBron? Why does everyone want you to fail, LeBron?
He gave an unkind answer to an unfair question. He got crushed for it.
He mocked an opposing player for having the flu and coughing. It was the NBA Finals, and he was showing animosity toward an opponent! How dare he. Crushed for that, too.
He celebrated a pivotal shot in a Finals game that put his team up by 15 in the fourth quarter. Everyone in the NBA does it, but only LeBron gets crushed for it.
Maybe some day we'll realize that LeBron isn't actually that hateable a person. So he's a little self-centered and a little entitled. Big deal! This is the NBA — who isn't?
The hate all stems from his televised announcement of last summer's move to Miami. We all bashed the show even though we all watched it. We all blamed LeBron himself for it, even though the show was conceived by Jim Gray and Maverick Carter. We all called him a wuss for teaming up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, despite the fact that Michael Jordan had Scottie Pippen, Magic Johnson had Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Bird had Kevin McHale, Kobe Bryant had Pau Gasol (and Shaquille O'Neal before that) and Bill Russell had a veritable dream team.
This past season in the NBA has been an incredible story, and every story needs a villain. Because of a little media embellishment and a lot of fan groupthink, LeBron became that guy.
But some day, can't we get past this?
This is America. We give people second chances. In the last decade alone, we've forgiven Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant, Michael Vick and Ben Roethlisberger. All of those men have been accused of far worse transgressions than a tacky TV special.
So when does LeBron get the forgiveness he deserves? It's long overdue.
Will America ever forgive LeBron? Share your thoughts below.
